Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Home Blog Page 26

Colour-changing contact lenses could replace painful skin prick tests for diabetics

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

Millions of diabetes sufferers face the daily grind of frequent skin prick tests to monitor their blood sugar levels.

Now researchers have developed an innovative alternative that could reveal the same information in the blink of an eye.

A team from The University of Akron have developed a contact lens that senses glucose which is the blood sugar in tears, the natural fluid that bathes the eye.

If sugar is not being metabolised properly and glucose concentration builds up in the body, the contact lens will detect a problem and change colour.

‘It works just like pH paper in your high school chemistry lab,’ said Dr Jun Hu.

‘The sugar molecule literally acts like the proton in a pH test, displacing a colour dye embedded in the lens, and the lens changes colour.’

Usually when you dissolve sugars in water you can’t see them. Dr Hu has used a molecule, called a probe, that binds well to sugars that they then combined with a dye. When sugar concentrations rise the sugar binds to the probe and knocks the dye loose, causing a colour change.

The person wearing the lens wouldn’t notice the change unless they looked in the mirror, so the team are now designing an app that will calculate sugar levels from a camera phone snap of the eye.

Dr Hu said: ‘This device could be used to detect subtle changes in blood sugar levels for tight management of diabetes. It can also be used to identify patients with pre-diabetic conditions, allowing early diagnosis that is crucial for preventing diabetes from advancing.

‘The convenience of contact lenses could boost patient compliance to blood sugar testing, as it will reduce discomfort, inconvenience, and even cost.

‘In addition, blood sugar also changes rapidly throughout a normal, active day, so a device that can monitor glucose many times in a day will provide diabetic patients with a very powerful tool in combating such a damaging condition.’

The lens is currently at the prototype phase but scientists say they could be commercially available within three years if all goes well.

The next step will be to check that the dye binds completely to the contact lens and does not leach as this could be dangerous to the eye.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

The Attention Seeking Disorder

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

The need for attention

Human beings are social creatures and need social interaction, feedback, and validation of their worth. The emotionally mature person doesn’t need to go hunting for these; they gain it naturally from their daily life, especially from their work and from stable relationships. Daniel Goleman calls emotional maturity emotional intelligence, or EQ; he believes, and I agree, that EQ is a much better indicator of a person’s character and value than intelligence quotient, or IQ.

The emotionally immature person, however, has low levels of self-esteem and self-confidence and consequently feels insecure; to counter these feelings of insecurity they will spend a large proportion of their lives creating situations in which they become the centre of attention. It may be that the need for attention is inversely proportional to emotional maturity, therefore anyone indulging in attention-seeking behaviours is telling you how emotionally immature they are.

Attention-seeking behaviour is surprisingly common. Being the centre of attention alleviates feelings of insecurity and inadequacy but the relief is temporary as the underlying problem remains unaddressed: low self-confidence and low self-esteem, and consequent low levels of self-worth and self-love.

Insecure and emotionally immature people often exhibit bullying behaviours, especially manipulation and deception. These are necessary in order to obtain attention which would not otherwise be forthcoming. Bullies and harassers have the emotional age of a young child and will exhibit temper tantrums, deceit, lying and manipulation to avoid exposure of their true nature and to evade accountability and sanction. This page lists some of the most common tactics bullies and manipulators employ to gain attention for themselves. An attention-seeker may exhibit several of the methods listed below.

Attention seeking methods

Attention-seeking is particularly noticeable with females so I’ve used the pronoun “she”. Males also exhibit attention-seeking behaviour.

Attention seekers commonly exploit the suffering of others to gain attention for themselves. Or they may exploit their own suffering, or alleged suffering. In extreme forms, such as in Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy, the attention-seeker will deliberately cause suffering to others as a means of gaining attention.

The sufferer: this might include feigning or exaggerating illness, playing on an injury, or perhaps causing or inviting injury, in extreme cases going as far as losing a limb. Severe cases may meet the diagnostic criteria for Munchausen Syndrome (also know as Factitious Disorder). The illness or injury becomes a vehicle for gaining sympathy and thus attention. The attention-seeker excels in manipulating people through their emotions, especially that of guilt. It’s very difficult not to feel sorry for someone who relates a plausible tale of suffering in a sob story or “poor me” drama.

The saviour: in attention-seeking personality disorders like Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy (MSBP, also known as Factitious Disorder By Proxy) the person, usually female, creates opportunities to be centre of attention by intentionally causing harm to others and then being their saviour, by saving their life, and by being such a caring, compassionate person. Few people realise the injury was deliberate. The MSBP mother or nurse may kill several babies before suspicions are aroused. When not in saviour mode, the saviour may be resentful, perhaps even contemptuous, of the person or persons she is saving.

The rescuer: particularly common in family situations, she’s the one who will dash in and “rescue” people whenever the moment is opportune – to herself, that is. She then gains gratification from basking in the glory of her humanitarian actions. She will prey on any person suffering misfortune, infirmity, illness, injury, or anyone who has a vulnerability. The act of rescue and thus the opportunities for gaining attention can be enhanced if others are excluded from the act of rescue; this helps create a dependency relationship between the rescuer and rescued which can be exploited for further acts of rescue (and attention) later. When not in rescue mode, the rescuer may be resentful, perhaps even contemptuous, of the person she is rescuing.

The organiser: she may present herself as the one in charge, the one organising everything, the one who is reliable and dependable, the one people can always turn to. However, the objective is not to help people (this is only a means to an end) but to always be the centre of attention.

The manipulator: she may exploit family relationships, manipulating others with guilt and distorting perceptions; although she may not harm people physically, she causes everyone to suffer emotional injury. Vulnerable family members are favourite targets. A common attention-seeking ploy is to claim she is being persecuted, victimised, excluded, isolated or ignored by another family member or group, perhaps insisting she is the target of a campaign of exclusion or harassment.

The mind-poisoner: adept at poisoning peoples’ minds by manipulating their perceptions of others, especially against the current target.

The drama queen: every incident or opportunity, no matter how insignificant, is exploited, exaggerated and if necessary distorted to become an event of dramatic proportions. Everything is elevated to crisis proportions. Histrionics may be present where the person feels she is not the centre of attention but should be. Inappropriate flirtatious behaviour may also be present.

The busy bee: this individual is the busiest person in the world if her constant retelling of her life is to be believed. Everyday events which are regarded as normal by normal people take on epic proportions as everyone is invited to simultaneously admire and commiserate with this oh-so-busy person who never has a moment to herself, never has time to sit down, etc. She’s never too busy, though, to tell you how busy she is.

The feigner: when called to account and outwitted, the person instinctively uses the denial – counterattack – feigning victimhood strategy to manipulate everyone present, especially bystanders and those in authority. The most effective method of feigning victimhood is to burst into tears, for most people’s instinct is to feel sorry for them, to put their arm round them or offer them a tissue. There’s little more plausible than real tears, although as actresses know, it’s possible to turn these on at will. Feigners are adept at using crocodile tears. From years of practice, attention-seekers often give an Oscar-winning performance in this respect. Feigning victimhood is a favourite tactic of bullies and harassers to evade accountability and sanction. When accused of bullying and harassment, the person immediately turns on the water works and claims they are the one being bullied or harassed – even though there’s been no prior mention of being bullied or harassed. It’s the fact that this claim appears only after and in response to having been called to account that is revealing. Mature adults do not burst into tears when held accountable for their actions.

The false confessor: this person confesses to crimes they haven’t committed in order to gain attention from the police and the media. In some cases people have confessed to being serial killers, even though they cannot provide any substantive evidence of their crimes. Often they will confess to crimes which have just been reported in the media. Some individuals are know to the police as serial confessors. The false confessor is different from a person who make a false confession and admits to a crime of which they are accused because of emotional pressure and inappropriate interrogation tactics.

The abused: a person claims they are the victim of abuse, sexual abuse, rape etc as a way of gaining attention for themselves. Crimes like abuse and rape are difficult to prove at the best of times and their incidence is so common that it is easy to make a plausible claim as a way of gaining attention.

The online victim: this person uses Internet chat rooms and forums to allege that they’ve been the victim of rape, violence, harassment, abuse etc. The alleged crime is never reported to the authorities, for obvious reasons. The facelessness and anonymity of the Internet suits this type of attention seeker.

The victim: she may intentionally create acts of harassment against herself, eg send herself hate mail or damage her own possessions in an attempt to incriminate a fellow employee, a family member, neighbour, etc. Scheming, cunning, devious, deceptive and manipulative, she will identify her “harasser” and produce circumstantial evidence in support of her claim. She will revel in the attention she gains and use her glib charm to plausibly dismiss any suggestion that she herself may be responsible. However, a background check may reveal that this is not the first time she has had this happen to her.

Feigning victimhood is common to serial bullies and this aspect comes to the fore in most cases once the bully has been held accountable and he or she cannot escape or rely on their support network. The tactic of denial followed by immediate counterattack followed by feigning victimhood

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Change Your Bad Habits

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Really think about it. It might vary a little bit day to day, but overall I bet it’s something you do day in and day out, over and over again, without really thinking about it.

This is of course not a bad thing, but is simply a habitual thing. Regardless of the consequences, habits become an automatic and natural process for how we live life. The way we respond and interact in the world becomes a conditioned pattern of behaviors; often to the point where we don’t even realize the behaviors we engage in.

What role do habits play in your life? Do you have habits and behaviors that aren’t suiting the life you desire? If so, they can be changed. It just takes a little effort, desire, and commitment.

1. Decide what you really want

One of the hardest things to figure out is exactly what we want. It’s easy to consider the vague and broad goals of “being happy,” “enjoying our job more,” and “doing more of what we love.” The problem with having such vague goals is that they’re unreachable without further clarification. There is no clear path to get there, and no way to measure the progress being made.

 

So, first and foremost, establish a clear, specific, and measurable problem that you want to solve. What specifically do you really want?

If you want to be happier, what will help you to be happy? If you want to enjoy your job more, what will it take?

2. Make it a priority and really want it

As strange it sounds, even when in a miserable situation, people often really don’t want to change. It can be a scary thought to move out of the comfortable, albeit miserable, situation they are used to. Point being, the desire to change must be greater than the fear and anxiety of stepping outside of our comfort zone toward an uncertain outcome.

Regardless of having a clear and actionable goal to work toward, if you don’t have the desire and commitment to put in the necessary effort, your problems won’t get solved. This is why the second step to really changing a habit is to make it a priority. In other words, you must really, really want to change, and have leverage that drives the change to happen. It may be that you’re in pain and aren’t where you want to be in life, or you’re just are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Whatever it is, it must motivate you to stick with the process of change.

3. Select specific patterns to break and replace with new behavior

When you decide that change is going to happen and you’re not going to stand for your current situation any longer, it’s time to devise a plan to modify behavior. You need to replace the old behavior with a new more healthy behavior. Whenever you feel the urge to engage in your old habits or are in a situation that triggers the behavior, incorporate your new behavior pattern.

For instance, maybe you have a drink every night when you come home from work, and want to stop drinking so often. When you come home you need something to replace that simple habit of going to the fridge and opening up a cold one. You must have something to replace your habits with that fills the void and agitated feelings that will initially be present.

What new behavior can you introduce to replace your old habit?

4. Start reconditioning

Once you have your new behavior in place, it’s time to hold yourself accountable and integrate this new behavior pattern into your daily life. This can also involve changing some aspects of your environment. Maybe you don’t want to drink caffeine in the morning. It’s always easier to have a cup of coffee when it’s right there, so get rid of the coffee maker and prevent yourself from being in those high risk situations.

The more you do something the more comfortable and automatic it will become. As you start to incorporate this new behavior you will slowly gain more confidence that habits can be changed, and the easier it will be to maintain this behavior.

5. Stick with it and re-evaluate

Habits will not be changed overnight, and will probably not go perfect the first time you try. It can be quite a process to change the way you have done things your entire life. Don’t give up and don’t get down on yourself if you aren’t always able to follow through. Consider each “relapse” a chance to learn what to do more effectively next time. Re-evaluate the above steps and examine what barriers got in the way, and what can help you stay motivated in the future. Change will happen when you really want it to. Make a commitment to yourself and really find that motivation to make change a priority. Stick with it, and keep working to recondition behaviors.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Surprising…! Must Read Medical Questions and Answers

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0
Surprising…! Must Read Medical Questions and Answers

1. Is money really that dirty? Do I have to wash my hands after touching it?

In one study, 94 percent of bills had pathogenic or potentially pathogenic organisms on them. (Interestingly, another study showed 92 percent tested positive for cocaine.) But at the end of the day, are they dangerous? No. Our skin provides a barrier. Just avoid sucking on dollar bills, and do less cocaine, please.

 

2. What’s the popping sound in my hip (or elbow or knee) when I do certain stretches or exercises?

When you stretch a joint, it creates a vacuum that literally sucks gas out of the fluid inside the joint. Pop. No big deal.

 

3. Does warm water quench thirst as effectively as cold water?

No. Cold water actually slows gastric emptying, and because the water hangs around longer, it gives your stomach time to tell your brain that you’re hydrated.

 

4. When I notice a new problem, how many days should I wait for it to go away before I talk to a doctor?

If you have crushing chest pain that feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest, maybe see a doctor, because you’re having a heart attack. Same if you’re passing out. But if you’ve got diarrhea or the flu, two to three days is very reasonable. Five to seven days for a sprained joint.

 

5. Carrots: honestly good for the eyes or old wives’ tale?

Lutein is the best for eyes — and it’s in leafy, green vegetables. The carrot rumor was started during the Second World War. The Nazis realized that the British were getting a lot of lucky shots on their aircraft, and so the British started the rumor that their pilots were being given carrots to improve their eyesight. Which was hogwash. What they really did was discover radar.

 

6. I’ve had lower-back pain for years. Flares up when I run on concrete, like when I play tennis or basketball. Any athletic shoes or equipment that you can recommend to soften the impact?

You want orthotics. They work. I like Zapz.

 

7. My dermatologist asked me how many sunburns I got before I was 18. Is that when I screwed myself with the melanoma?

We used to think you got most of your UV exposure before age 18. Now we know it’s more like 25 percent. But even if you burn once, you increase the chance of developing melanoma. But we’re talking about blistering burns, like in The Heartbreak Kid. Not just a little redness.

 

8. What kind of stories do heart surgeons tell at the bar after work?

It’s usually jokes. Medical jokes. “You hear the one about the constipated accountant? Worked it out with a pencil.”

 

9. Are fresh berries healthier than frozen ones?

There’s not that big a difference — probably 20 percent — in the nutrient levels. But the good thing about frozen berries is they don’t lose those nutrients over time. Net, frozen berries are a great value.

 

10. My bum knees mean I can’t jog. What are your recommended alternatives? And please don’t say elliptical machine. Boredom’s worse than joint pain.

Elliptical machine. But if you want something more athletic, cycling or swimming are both high-energy and low-impact.

 

11. When it comes to vitamins and supplements, can there be too much of a good thing?

Yes. Just go with a complete daily multivitamin plus DHA-omega-3 fats. Add some extra vitamin D if the multi doesn’t give you the 1,000 IUs (international units) you need.

 

12. Do women really have smaller bladders than men, and is that why they have to stop to pee every 17 miles?

Yep.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Study: Many Children with Autism Diagnosed Late

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

Many children may be diagnosed with autism years too late to benefit from early behavioral intervention, according to 2011 national survey findings released Thursday from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Intensive behavioral therapy for autism, which can begin as early as age two, can significantly improve language and thinking skills in children with autism, according to the National Institutes of Health. The therapy, which helps develop a child’s social and behavior skills within different environments, is considered among the best forms of treatment by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

However, the survey found that more than half of children had reached age five before they were first identified as having an autism spectrum disorder.

Although children can continue to benefit from behavioral interventions after age five, earlier behavioral intervention is associated with better outcomes, according to many experts.

“It is critical that we address the barriers that are preventing children from receiving early intervention,” said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of Autism Speaks, who was not involved in the study.

More than 1400 children ages 6 to 17 with autism were included in the survey. The survey looked at diagnosis of the disorder within the last 17 years.

The older children may have been receiving some sort of medical assessment for their condition before receiving a formal diagnosis, according to Lisa Colpe, chief officer of clinical and population epidemiology research at the National Institute of Mental Health’s and co-author of the study.

“It’s still a very complex disorder to diagnose and does take some time,” said Colpe. “These ages mean that they have been getting assessed for some period of time before getting a diagnosed.”

Ninety percent of the children diagnosed participated in some form of developmental service including occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and social skills training, according to the study. However, fewer than half of the children underwent behavioral therapy.

A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can take five different forms, ranging from mild to severe. Because the report did not specify what forms of autism were diagnosed within the spectrum, it’s unclear what the appropriate intervention would have been for the children included in the survey.

The survey also found that more than half of the children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder use psychotropic medications including antipsychotics, anti-depressants, stimulants, and mood stabilizers.

These medications are approved to treat irritability in some children with autism, and in many cases are used in conjunction with other therapies that address major symptoms of the disorder, including communication issues and repetitive behaviors.

General physicians and psychologists were most likely able to pick up the child’s diagnosis if they were under age five. Children over age five were most likely diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Children age five and older were over half as likely to be diagnosed with autism when reviewed by a panel of doctors as opposed to a single doctor or psychologist making a diagnosis.

“Depending on the age, it’s a different specialist that they’re encountering,” said Colpe.

The findings call for physicians to screen all children for autism once at 18 months, and once again at age two, said Dawson. Since parents are able to spot changes in their children, Dawson said addressing any concerns as early as possible can also be key to early intervention.

“Parents who are concerned that their child has autism should bring those concerns immediately to a health care professional, such as their pediatrician,” said Dawson, adding that pediatricians are often the gateway doctor for many children.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Few places you cant go

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

The world is full of secret and exclusive places that we either don’t know about, or simply couldn’t visit if we wanted to. This list takes a look at ten of the most significant places around the world that are closed to the general public or are virtually impossible for the general public to visit.

Mezhgorye

Mezhgorye is a closed town in Russia which is believed to house people working on the highly secret Mount Yamantaw. The town was founded in 1979. Mount Yamantaw stands at 1,640 metres (5,381 ft) and is the highest mountain in the southern Urals. Along with Kosvinsky Mountain (600 km to the north), it is suspected by the United States of being a large secret nuclear facility and/or bunker. Large excavation projects have been observed by U.S. satellite imagery as recently as the late 1990s, during the time of Boris Yeltsin’s pro-Western government after the fall of the Soviet Union. Two garrisons, Beloretsk-15 and Beloretsk-16, were built on top of the facility. Repeated U.S. questions have yielded several different responses from the Russian government regarding Mount Yamantaw. They have said it is a mining site, a repository for Russian treasures, a food storage area, and a bunker for leaders in case of nuclear war.

Vatican secret archives

This has been mentioned on a previous list – the archives are not secret despite their names. You can view any document you wish. But you cannot enter the archive. You must submit your request for a document and it will be supplied to you. Despite the foolishness of the recent junk from Ron Howard and Dan Brown (Angels and Demons) the documents are all available and there are no copies of suppressed scientific theories or great works that were banned. The only documents you can’t access are those which are not yet 75 years old (in order to protect diplomatic and governmental information). Indexes are available for people who want to see if a document exists in the archives. The Vatican Secret Archives have been estimated to contain 52 miles (84 km) of shelving, and there are 35,000 volumes in the selective catalogue alone.

Club 33

Contrary to popular belief, Disneyland has a full liquor license which is used when the place closes down to the general public to accommodate private parties. But there is one place in Disneyland that is always open to sell booze: Club 33. Club 33 is a private club located in the heart of the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland. Officially maintained as a secret feature of the theme park, the entrance of the club is located next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant at “33 Royal Street” with the entrance recognizable by an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it. Fees for joining range from 10 – 30 thousand US dollars and membership comes with a car park. If you want to join the club, you have to go to the end of the fourteen year waiting list.

Moscow Metro-2

Metro-2 in Moscow, Russia is a purported secret underground metro system which parallels the public Moscow Metro. The system was built supposedly during (or from) the time of Stalin and codenamed D-6 by the KGB. Russian journalists have reported that the existence of Metro-2 is neither confirmed nor denied by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) or the Moscow Metro administration. The length of Metro-2 is rumored to exceed even that of the “civil” (i.e. public) Metro. (It is said to have 4 lines and lie 50 to 200 m deep. It is said to connect the Kremlin with the FSB headquarters, the government airport at Vnukovo-2, and an underground town at Ramenki, in addition to other locations of national importance. Needless to say, the fact that no one confirms its existence makes it pretty difficult to visit.

White’s Gentlemen’s Club

White’s is the most exclusive English gentlemen’s club. It was founded in 1693 by Italian Francesco Bianco (Francis White) to sell the newly discovered hot chocolate but eventually became a typical (but extremely private) gentlemen’s club. The club is famous for its “betting book” in which members make bizarre gambles. The most famous of which is a 3,000 pound bet on which of two raindrops would slide down the window first. So why is this club on the list? Women are excluded completely from membership, so that is half our audience out. Secondly, men who want to join this exclusive club can only do so if invited by a sitting member who has the support of two other members. Unless you are a member of royalty, or are extremely powerful in politics or the arts, you are unlikely to ever see the exclusive White’s invitation.

Area 51

I have put this so high on the list because it is the one place most readers are likely to expect to see. Area 51 is a nickname for a military base that is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles (133 km) north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large secretive military airfield. The base’s primary purpose is to support development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems. The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence of which the U.S. government barely acknowledges, has made it the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component to unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore. The sign above states that deadly force can be used if people enter the Area 51 zone.

Room 39

Room 39 or Bureau 39 is arguably one of the most secretive organizations in North Korea that seeks ways to obtain foreign currency for Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s Chairman of the National Defense Commission. Room 39 was established in the late 1970s. It has been described as the lynchpin of the North’s so-called “court economy” centered on the dynastic Kim family. It is unknown how the name originated. Very little is known about Room 39 due to the secretive nature surrounding the organization, but it is widely speculated that the organization uses 10 to 20 bank accounts in China and Switzerland for the purposes of counterfeiting, money laundering, and other illicit transactions. It is also alleged that Room 39 is involved in drug smuggling and illicit weapon sales. It is known, however, that the organization has 120 foreign trade companies under its jurisdiction and is under the direct control of Kim Jong-il. North Korea has denied taking part in any illegal activities. Room 39 is believed to be located inside a ruling Workers’ Party building in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea.

Ise Grand Shrine

The Ise Grand Shrine in Japan (which is actually a series of over 100 shrines) is the most sacred shrine in Japan. It is dedicated to Amaterasu (the Sun goddess) and has been in existence since 4BC. The main shrine is alleged to hold the most important item in Japan’s imperial history: the Naikū (the mirror from Japanese mythology which eventually ended up in the hands of the first emperors). The shrine is demolished and rebuilt every 20 years in keeping with the Shinto idea of death and rebirth (the next rebuilding will be in 2013). This ranks very high on the list of places you will never go because the only person who can enter is the priest or priestess and he must be a member of the Japanese imperial family. So unless we have a Japanese prince or princess reading the site, no one here will ever see anything more than the thatched roof of the Ise Grand Shrine.

Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center

This is a place that is not only closed to the public, but it is a place that the public hope to never have to enter! In most “end of the world” films we see these days, there is always a highly classified area where US government officials and a chosen few get to go in the hopes that they can escape the impending doom. The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center is the real thing. It was set up in the 1950s due to the cold war but continues to operate today. It is a “last hope” area. For obvious reasons its operations are highly classified. It is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The center is already functioning and even in small local disasters in the US, much of the telecommunications traffic is routed through it.

RAF Menwith Hill

RAF Menwith Hill is a British military base with connections to the global ECHELON spy network. The site contains an extensive satellite ground station and is a communications intercept and missile warning site and has been described as the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. The site acts as a ground station for a number of satellites operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office, on behalf of the US National Security Agency, with antennae contained in a large number of highly distinctive white radomes, and is alleged to be an element of the ECHELON system. ECHELON was reportedly created to monitor the military and diplomatic communications of the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies during the Cold War in the early 1960s, but since the end of the Cold War it is believed to search also for hints of terrorist plots, drug dealers’ plans, and political and diplomatic intelligence. It has also been involved in reports of commercial espionage and is believed to filter all telephone and radio communications in the nations which host it – an extreme violation of privacy.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Reasons why English Sucks ! ;)

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.

2. The farm was used to produce produce.

3. The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse.

4. We must polish the Polish furniture.

5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7. Since there was no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10. I did not object to the object.

11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12. There was a row among the oarsmen on how to row.

13. They were too close to the door to close it.

14. The buck does funny things when does are present.

15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

As I Mature

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

New Ant Species Discovered in the Amazon Likely Represents Oldest Living Lineage of Ants

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

A new species of blind, subterranean, predatory ant discovered in the Amazon rainforest by University of Texas at Austin evolutionary biologist Christian Rabeling is likely a descendant of the very first ants to evolve.

The new ant is named Martialis heureka, which translates roughly to “ant from Mars,” because the ant has a combination of characteristics never before recorded. It is adapted for dwelling in the soil, is two to three millimeters long, pale, and has no eyes and large mandibles, which Rabeling and colleagues suspect it uses to capture prey.

 

This new species of blind, subterranean, predatory ant, Martialis heureka, was discovered in the Amazon by graduate student Christian Rabeling. It belongs to the first new subfamily of living ants discovered since 1923 and is a descendant of one of the first ant lineages to evolve more than 120 million years ago.

 

The ant also belongs to its own new subfamily, one of 21 subfamilies in ants. This is the first time that a new subfamily of ants with living species has been discovered since 1923 (other new subfamilies have been discovered from fossil ants).

Rabeling says his discovery will help biologists better understand the biodiversity and evolution of ants, which are abundant and ecologically important insects.

“This discovery hints at a wealth of species, possibly of great evolutionary importance, still hidden in the soils of the remaining rainforests,” writes Rabeling and his co-authors in a paper reporting their discovery this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Rabeling collected the only known specimen of the new ant species in 2003 from leaf-litter at the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária in Manaus, Brazil.

He and his colleagues found that the ant was a new species, genus and subfamily after morphological and genetic analysis. Analysis of DNA from the ant’s legs confirmed its phylogenetic position at the very base of the ant evolutionary tree.

Ants evolved over 120 million years ago from wasp ancestors. They probably evolved quickly into many different lineages, with ants specializing to lives in the soil, leaf-litter or trees, or becoming generalists.

“This discovery lends support to the idea that blind subterranean predator ants arose at the dawn of ant evolution,” says Rabeling, a graduate student in the ecology, evolution and behavior program.

Rabeling does not suggest that the ancestor to all ants was blind and subterranean, but that these adaptations arose early and have persisted over the years.

“Based on our data and the fossil record, we assume that the ancestor of this ant was somewhat wasp-like, perhaps similar to the Cretaceous amber fossil Sphecomyrma, which is widely known as the evolutionary missing link between wasps and ants,” says Rabeling.

He speculates that the new ant species evolved adaptations over time to its subterranean habitat (for example, loss of eyes and pale body color), while retaining some of its ancestor’s physical characteristics.

“The new ant species is hidden in environmentally stable tropical soils with potentially less competition from other ants and in a relatively stable microclimate,” he says. “It could represent a ‘relict’ species that retained some ancestral morphological characteristics.”

Rabeling’s co-authors include Jeremy Brown, also a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, and Dr. Manfred Verhaagh of Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde in Karlsruhe, Germany. Brazilian ecologist Dr. Marcos Garcia assisted with the research in the Amazon.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Male – Female Brain Differences

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0
Male – Female Brain Differences

Cell number: men have 4% more brain cells than women, and about 100 grams more of brain tissue. Many women have asked me why men need more brain tissue in order to get the same things done. 

Cellular connections: even though a man seems to have more brain cells, it is reported that women have more dendritic connections between brain cells.

Corpus collosum size: it is reported that a woman’s brain has a larger corpus collusum, which means women can transfer data between the right and left hemisphere faster than men. Men tend to be more left brained, while women have greater access to both sides.

Language: for men, language is most often just in the dominant hemisphere (usually the left side), but a larger number of women seem to be able to use both sides for language. This gives them a distinct advantage. If a woman has a stroke in the left front side of the brain, she may still retain some language from the right front side. Men who have the same left sided damage are less likely to recover as fully. 

Limbic size: bonding/nesting instincts – current research has demonstrated that females, on average, have a larger deep limbic system than males. This gives females several advantages and disadvantages. Due to the larger deep limbic brain women are more in touch with their feelings, they are generally better able to express their feelings than men. They have an increased ability to bond and be connected to others (which is why women are the primary caretakers for children – there is no society on earth where men are primary caretakers for children). Females have a more acute sense of smell, which is likely to have developed from an evolutionary need for the mother to recognize her young. Having a larger deep limbic system leaves a female somewhat more susceptible to depression, especially at times of significant hormonal changes such as the onset of puberty, before menses, after the birth of a child and at menopause. Women attempt suicide three times more than men. Yet, men kill themselves three times more than women, in part, because they use more violent means of killing themselves (women tend to use overdoses with pills while men tend to either shoot or hang themselves) and men are generally less connected to others than are women. Disconnection from others increases the risk of completed suicides.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Scientific Discoveries That Laugh in the Face of Physics

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

The Sun Can Make Stuff Hotter Than Itself

We intuitively understand the direction that energy travels — from the thing with energy to the thing with less energy. That’s why the second law of thermodynamics is among the first things you learn in science class that makes you say, “Well, shit, I could have told you that.” If you’re too hot, you move away from the campfire, not toward it. You don’t need science to tell you that heat energy travels from the hot thing to the less-hot thing. Well, everywhere in the universe except the sun.

There’s a discrepancy between what science says should happen and what the sun actually does, and it’s known as the sun’s coronal heating problem. Essentially, when heat leaves the sun, the laws of thermodynamics just totally break down for a few hundred miles, and nobody can quite figure out why.

The facts are pretty straightforward; the sun’s surface sits comfortably at a blazing temperature of roughly 5,500 degrees Celsius. No problem there. However, as the heat travels from the sun’s surface to the layer a few hundred miles away from its surface (known as the sun’s corona), it rises to a temperature of 1,000,000 degrees Celsius. Which is 995,000 degrees Celsius, or 1,791,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1 billion gigawatts per 1/4 gigabyte jiggawatt hour (metric) hotter than it has any right to be.

The heat source (the giant ball of nuclear explosions and plasma) should be the hottest thing, not the empty vacuum of space around it. This is the only instance in the known universe where the thing doing the heating is actually cooler than the thing it’s heating.

And it’s been plaguing solar physicists worldwide since they discovered the little disagreement reality has with our universe in 1939. How is it possible that the area around the sun is about 200 times hotter than its surface? It’s not, according to the second law of thermodynamics and everything else we’re supposed to know about how the universe works.

 

When You Look Closely, Gravity Stops Making Sense

There’s a certain order to the world. Mice get eaten by wolves, motorcyclists get demolished by 18-wheelers and gravity presides over the whole crazy parade, keeping it stuck to the ground like a boss. Understanding where forces rank compared with one another allows us to predict and explain all the different ways in which they will interact. The problem is that gravity, the one force that’s involved in just about every interaction that happens here on Earth, is kind of all over the map.When you look at it up close, gravity is decidedly on the mouse side of the hierarchy. Rub a balloon on your wool sweater (nice sweater, nerd) and pass it over a piece of paper. The tiny electromagnetic charge your sweater transferred to the balloon will lift the paper off the table, overcoming the Earth’s gravitational pull. That’s the same gravitational pull that tethers the moon in orbit around Earth. Up close, gravity gets its ass handed to it by a bond that’s about as strong as worn-out Velcro. But over a distance of 234,000 miles, it acts like the chain on a mace being swung around the head of a planet-sized Viking.

This is what’s known as the Higgs mass hierarchy problem. Gravity has a tendency to wreak havoc on scientific hierarchies because the closer you look at it, the more likely it is to disappear. It’s predictable when you take a step back and watch it yank things out of midair, but on closer inspection, it completely vanishes. In fact, at the realm of particle physics, gravity is 10 ^ 32 times weaker than the second weakest force.

The Earth’s mass is 5.97 x 10 ^ 24 kilograms, which allows it to generate the supremely powerful and inescapable force that has held you on the surface of the Earth since you popped out of your mom. The fact that the stray electricity hanging out on your sweater could counteract it makes as much sense as a starving African child being able to bench-press a skyscraper.

Satellites Speed Up for No Reason

Imagine you’re pushing a baby on a swing set. At a certain point his squeals of delight start to turn anxious, so you stop pushing him, muttering something about it being true what they say about babies being little cowards. Once you stop pushing the baby, instead of slowing to a stop, he starts swinging higher and higher. The baby is just sitting there, not moving, and yet he appears to be gaining momentum. Your only option is to pull out your phone and curse the Ghostbusters theme for not including a phone number, because the universe is suddenly behaving like it’s been run backward through a film projector.

This might be because you remember the law of conservation of energy, which says that energy can’t be created or destroyed, just transferred. So you’ll never get more energy out of something than what you started with unless you add it. Unfortunately, one of the simplest laws of physics has to have an asterisk next to it. Go down to the bottom of the page and you’ll find something along the lines of “This is usually the case, but occasionally the universe gets a hankering to let an object passing by the Earth just up and gain speed for no real reason. We assume this is because someone somewhere is fucking with us.”It’s called the flyby anomaly because there are multiple instances where NASA’s Galileo, NEAR, Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft have experienced an unexplainable increase in speed over massive distances. It’s always when they’re passing Earth at enough of a distance to not be affected by its gravitational pull, yet they somehow pick up speed, like some universal force is inside stepping on the accelerator.

The anomaly was only first noticed in 1980, and science has spent the ensuing decades trying to figure out what the hell is going on. They’ve accounted for every type of energy that’s ever been discovered. So far, they don’t even have a real theory. So we could suggest that the spacecraft are just showing off for the home crowd, and that would be as good as anything science has come up with so far.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

Travelling in Europe ? Phrases in 5 common languages for you to know !

Nirupama Surubhotla
-
0

Traveling abroad this summer? These helpful phrases will open doors and help you gain immediate acceptance.

You don’t need to be fluent in the language of the country that you are traveling to, but learning some key phrases makes a great impression. If someone hears that you’re trying to speak the language, they will give you their respect and help.

From saying hello to asking how much something cost; knowing some important phrases will set you up for an amazing trip. Its also a great way to meet and connect with people, you can find a secret spot that only the locals know or the best place to eat in town.

Your pronunciation doesn’t have to be perfect, all that matters is that your trying and that means a lot the locals.  Also it’s a great way to impress your friends when you start speaking the language of the country your in, works everytime!

Here are some helpful phrases in 5 common languages to know when traveling in Europe

French, Italian, Spanish, German and Dutch

 

FRENCH

The Basics:

Hello: bonjour  (bohn-zhoor)

Please:  S’il vous plaît   (see voo play)

Thank you: merci  (mehr-see)

Goodbye: au revoir  (oh reh-vwar)

Where is the bathroom? pardon, où sont les toilettes?  (oo sohn lay twah-leht)

Do you have a menu in English? avez –vous un menu en anglais? (ah-vay vooz uhn men-u ahn ahn-glay)

How much is it? combien est-il (kohn-bee-an es-eel)

 

I’m lost, can you help me find ____? Je suis perdu, peux vous m’aider à trouver? (zhuh swee pehr-dew puh   vooz- may-day ah tru-vay)

I would like: Je voudrais (zhuh voo-dray)

I am sorry, I don’t speak French: Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas français (zhuh swee day-zoh-lay , zhuh nuh parl pah frahn-say)

Some Phrases Just for Fun:

I drank too much, can you call a taxi? J’ai bu trop, pouvez-vous appeler un taxi (zhay boo tro-op, poo-vay voo ah-puh-lay uhn tahk-see)

Can I climb the Eiffel tower? Est-ce que je peux monter la Tour Eiffel?  (ehs-ce kuh zhuh puh mon-teh la toor ee-fel)

How’s my breath? Comment tu trouves mon haleine? (kon-mahn tew troo-vay mohn ah-lehn)

Some French Etiquette to Know:

Never say: Jokes are not appreciated in French culture. Intelligent conversation or funny real-life stories are appreciated.

Inappropriate gesture: Do not slap your open palm over a closed fist (this is considered a vulgar gesture).

Never do: Do not bring up money or religion. Do not use someone’s first name until you are invited to do so.

French custom: Instead of a 3-course meal that Americans are used to, the French traditionally serve 6 courses. In order, they are hors d’ oeuvres, fish course, meat course, salad, cheese plate, and dessert. Bread and wine are also staples that are always on the table.

 

ITALIAN

The Basics:

Hello: Buongiorno (bwon-jor-no)

Thank you: Grazie (gra-tyse)

Please: Per favore (per fa-vo-re)

Goodbye: arrivederci (a-ree-ve-der-chee)

Where are the toilets? dove sono I gabinetti? (do-ve so-no ee ga-bee-ne-tee)

Do you have a menu in English? Avete un menu in inglese?

How much is it? Quantè (kwan-te)

I’m lost! Could you help me, please? Mi sono perso/a! Mi può aiutare, per favore? (mee so-no per-so/a! mee pwo ai-yoo-ta-re per fa-vo-re)

I’d like to buy___:  Vorrei comprare__   (vo-ray kom-pra-re__)

I am sorry, I don’t speak Italian: Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano  (mee dees-pya-che, non par-lo ay-tal-lee-on-o)

Drinking Toast: Salute! (to your health!) (sa-loo-te)

Some Phrases Just for Fun:

Can you lower the price? Può farmi lo sconto? (pwo far-mee lo skon-to)

Where would you go for a cheap meal? Dove andrebbe per un pasto economico (do-ve an-dre-be per oon pas-to e-ko-no-me-ko)

I’d like the wine list: Vorrei la lista del vini (vo-ray la lee-sta day vee-nee

Some Italian Etiquette to Know:

Never say: Do not call someone by their first name until they invite you to do so. Use their title and last name.

Inappropriate gesture: Stroking your fingers under your chin and thrusting them forward is a sign of defiance

Never do: Never talk about politics, taxes, religion/The Vatican, the Mafia, World War II, private or personal matters (income, family matters, occupation)

Italian Custom: Italians take part in something called La Passeggiata daily. This ritual consists of a stroll around the town at about 6:00 p.m. The purpose of this ritual is to see and be seen by other people and catch up with friends before dinner.

SPANISH

The Basics:

Hello: Hola  (oh-lah)

Please:  por favor (por-fa-bor)

Thank you: Gracias (grah-thee-ahs)

Goodbye: adios  (ah-dee-ohs)

Where are the toilets? ¿dónde están los servicios? (dohn-day ay-stahn lohs sehr-bee-thee-ohs)

I would like a menu in English? ¿Me gustaría la carta en inglés? (meh goo-stah-ree-ah lah kar-tah ayn een-glays)

How much is it? ¿cuánto cuesta? (kwahn-toh kway-stah)

I’m lost , how do I get to____? Estoy perdido[a] ¿ Cómo llego a _? (eh-stoy pehr-dee-doh, koh-moh yay-goh ah __?)

Is there a phone I can use? ¿Hay un teléfono que puedo utilizar? (I ayn tel-lay-fone-o kay pway-do u-tee-lee-zar)

I am sorry I don’t speak Spanish: Lo siento no hablo español (loh-see-ehn-toh no ah-bloh ay-spahn-yohl)

Drinking Toast: Salud! (To your health!) (sa-lu-de)

Some Phrases Just for Fun:

I drank too much, can you call me a cab? ¿Yo bebí masiado, puede usted llamarme un taxi? (yo bay-be day-ma-see-a-doh, pwah-day oo-stehd ya-mar-may ayn tax-see)

 

Where is the nearest hospital? ¿Dónde está el hospital más cercano? (dohn-day ay-sta ehl oh-spee-tahl serh-can-o)

I would like one of everything, please:  Me gustaría uno de todo, por favor (may-goo-stah-ree-ah un-oh day toh-doh por-fa-bor)

Some Spanish Etiquette to Know:

Never say: Do not talk about politics, religion, the Civil War in Spain, or Franco.

Inappropriate gesture: Making the “ok” sign (index finger and thumb forming a circle) is considered obscene.

Never do: Do not order more food than you can eat. It is considered rude to leave food on your plate.

Spanish Custom: Bullfighting is a sport that is a tradition in Spain. After a cape is waved in front of the bull, the Matador and his Picadores weaken the bull by placing spears into it. The Matador dedicates the death of the bull to his president or the crowd before performing his faena. The faena is the Matador’s “dance with death” when he stands in the arena with his sword letting the bull charge him until he finally kills it. This tradition dates all the way back to 711 A.D.

 

 

German

The Basics:

Hello: Hallo  (a-low)

Thank you: Danke  (dong-ka)

Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen (all-veet-a-zen)

Where is the bathroom? wo ist die Toiette? (Woa is dee-toilet)

Do you have a menu in English? Haben Sie ein Menü auf englisch? (Have-n- see- ine- menuu-ov-eng-glish)

How much does this cost? wieviel kostet dies? (Vay-vel cos-tet dies)

I’m lost can you help me find ____? Ich habe mich verfahren, können  Sie mir helfen, __ zu finden? (Eek hab misch mivare-fa-ren, see mik-ch hell-ven___________ zoo fine-done)

Is there a phone I can use? gibt es ein Telefon, das ich benutzen kann? (Gipt –es-ine-telafon, das-eeck-ben-oot-zin kaan)

I am sorry I don’t speak German: Entshuldigung, ich spreche kein Deutsch. (Ent-shu-il-de-gung, eek sprek-a-nee doy-ch)

Drinking Toast: Prost! (May it be good) (Pro-st)

Some Phrases Just for Fun:

I drank too much, can you call me a cab? ich habe zu viel getrunken, können Sie für mich ein Taxi bestellen?

Where can I find the best bratwurst? Wo kann ich die beste Bratwurst finden?

How many types of beer are served in Germany? Wieviele Biersorten gibt es in Deutschland?

Some German Etiquette to Know:

Never say: Do not bring up the Nazi’s or the Holocaust. Interrupting in a conversation is also considered greatly disrespectful.

Inappropriate gesture: Do not point your index finger to your head, it is considered rude.

Never do: Do not eat with your fingers, put your elbows on the table, be late, or drink too much.

German Custom: Every year for 16-18 days from the end of September to the beginning of October, Germans celebrate Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is the largest fair in the world with more than 5 million people attending every year. While the first Oktoberfest was a celebration of Bavarian Prince Louis’ wedding, it has grown into a festival of beer and food that is well-known and replicated all over the world.

 

 

DUTCH

The Basics:

Hello: Hello  (a-low)

Thank you: dank u  (dang-u)

Goodbye: tot ziens (tot-zines)

Where is the bathroom? Waar is het toilet (warr is het toilet)

Do you have a menu in English? Hebt u een menu in het Engels? (Hept-you-ine-menu-en-ha-t-on-g-lace)

How much does this cost? hoeveel kost dit? (Ho-veel kost de-it)

I’m lost can you help me find ____? Ik ben verwaald, kunt U mij helpen____ te vinden?

Is there a phone I can use? is er een telefoon die ik kan grbruiken?

I am sorry I don’t speak Dutch: Mijn excuses, ik spreek geen Nederlands

Drinking Toast: Proost! (Cheers!) (Pru-st)

Some Phrases Just for Fun:

I drank too much, can you call me a cab? Ik heb teveel,gedronken, kunt U voor mij een taxi bestellen?

Where can I find the best Pannenkoeken? waar kan ik de beste pannenkoeken vinden?

The tulips are beautiful! de tulpen zijn mooi! (Die-tool-pen-zin-moo-ey)

Some Dutch Etiquette to Know:

Never say: Do not talk about your income and possessions, criticize the Dutch Royal Family, or religion.

Inappropriate gesture: Do not tap the center of your forehead with your index finger. This is a sign for “crazy” and is impolite.

Never do: Loud, outspoken, and provocative behavior is not appreciated or well-received. Try to blend in with others.

Dutch Custom: Wooden clogs worn by Dutch people of the Netherlands are an iconic symbol of their culture. These clogs are used for Dutch dancing or worn by farmers. Although they may look purely decorative they are very useful. They keep feet warm in the winter, cool in the summer, have good support, and absorb perspiration. Now days most wooden clogs are made by machine but there are still a few of the shoe makers left in Holland’s tourist areas.

Thanks for installing the Bottom of every post plugin by Corey Salzano. Contact me if you need custom WordPress plugins or website design.

1...252627...39Page 26 of 39

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

Newspaper is your news, entertainment, music fashion website. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the entertainment industry.

Contact us: [email protected]

FOLLOW US

© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv