Weight loss without the hunger: eat a lighter lunch

Syl Kacapyr – Losing weight without a grumbling stomach or expensive liquid diet can be as simple as eating a lighter lunch, finds a new Cornell University study to be published in the October issue of the journal Appetite.

Participants who ate portion-controlled lunches did not compensate by eating more calories later in the day, leading researchers to believe the human body does not possess the mechanisms necessary to notice a small drop in energy intake.

“Making small reductions in energy intake to compensate for the increasing number of calories available in our food environment may help prevent further weight gain, and one way of doing this could be to consume portion-controlled lunches a few times a week,” said doctoral student Carly Pacanowski, who co-authored the study with David Levitsky, Cornell professor of nutritional sciences and of psychology.

The study closely monitored the food intake of 17 volunteers who ate whatever they wanted from a buffet for one week. For the next two weeks, half the group selected their lunch by choosing from one of six commercially available, portion-controlled foods, such as Chef Boyardee Pasta or Campbell’s Soup at Hand, but could eat as much as they wished at other meals or snacks. For the final two weeks, the other half of volunteers followed the same regimen.

While eating portion-controlled lunches, each participant consumed 250 fewer calories per day and lost, on average, 1.1 pounds.

“The results confirm that humans do not regulate energy intake with any precision. Over a year, such a regimen would result in losing at least 25 pounds,” said Levitsky, who adds the study demonstrates one simple, low-cost way to consume fewer calories.

via Weight loss without the hunger: Cornell scientists say eat a lighter lunch.

Virus attacks childhood cancers

This electron micrograph depicts the vesiculovirus responsible for vesicular stomatitis (VS) in horses, cattle and pigs.

Researchers from Yale University are looking to a virus from the same family as the rabies virus to fight a form of cancer primarily found in children and young adults. They report their findings in the September 2011 issue of the Journal of Virology.

Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers that develop in tissues which connect, support, or surround other structures and organs of the body. Muscles, tendons, fibrous tissues, fat, blood vessels, nerves, and synovial tissues are types of soft tissue. While relatively rare in adults, they represent approximately 15% of pediatric malignancies and result in death for approximately one-third of patients within 5 years of diagnosis.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a rhabdovirus, which is the same family of viruses as rabies, and causes a disease similar to foot and mouth disease in cattle. Recent research has discovered that this virus also is oncolytic, meaning it seeks out and destroys cancerous tumors. Previous studies have already shown VSV to be promising in treating brain tumors in mice.

In this study the researchers investigated the potential of VSV and an oncolytically enhanced version of the virus (VSV-rp30a) to effectively target and kill 13 different sarcomas. Both of the viruses efficiently infected and killed 12 of the sarcomas. The resistance of the one surviving sarcoma line was eventually overcome by pretreatment with compounds that antagonize interferon signaling.

Additionally they looked at the ability of VSV-rp30a to infect and arrest tumor growth in mice.

“A single intravenous injection of VSV-rp30a selectively infected all subcutaneous human sarcomas tested in mice and arrested the growth of tumors that otherwise grew 11-fold,” say the researchers. “Overall, we find that the potential efficacy of VSV as an oncolytic agent extends to nonhematologic mesodermal tumors and that unusually strong resistance to VSV oncolysis can be overcome with interferon attenuators.”

via Virus attacks childhood cancers.

Earthquake causes 2,700 identical Japanese haircuts

A Japanese company has ordered all 2,700 of its employees to get identical hairstyles – to help save energy.

Tokyo-based Maeda Corporation announced the move as part of a national campaign to reduce energy consumption in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March.

Men are expected to sport a short back-and-sides, slightly longer on the top, while women have been asked to wear a ‘cute’ bob with a fringe that can be swept to one side.

Chizuru Inoue, a spokesman for Maeda Corp, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Our company is very keen on protecting the environment and we encourage our staff to adopt many environment-friendly actions,

‘We are not sure of the data yet, but we believe if people have short hair they do not need to use their hair driers for so long and they will use less water.

‘If all our staff do this, then it may save a lot of power.’

There is another advantage for employees of the construction firm, Ms Inoue added, as it is easter to make short hair neat again after staff have been wearing hard hats. …

via Japanese construction company orders 2,700 staff to get ‘energy-saving’ haircuts | Mail Online.

New microscope might see beneath skin in 4-D

A new type of laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) holds the promise of diagnosing skin cancer in a single snapshot. Typical LSCMs take 3-D images of thick tissue samples by visualizing thin slices within that tissue one layer at a time. Sometimes scientists supplement these microscopes with spectrographs, which are devices that measure the pattern of wavelengths, or “colors,” in the light reflected off of a piece of tissue. This pattern of wavelengths acts like a fingerprint, which scientists can use to identify a particular substance within the sample. But the range of wavelengths used so far with these devices has been narrow, limiting their uses. Not so with the new microscope developed by physicists from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Rome, and described in a paper accepted to the AIP’s new journal AIP Advances. Unlike other combination “confocal microscope plus spectrograph” devices, the new machine is able to gather the spectrographic information from every point in a sample, at a wide range of wavelengths, and in a single scan. To achieve this, the authors illuminate the sample with multiple colors of laser light at once – a sort of “laser rainbow” – that includes visible light as well as infrared. This allows scientists to gather a full range of information about the wavelengths of light reflected off of every point within the sample. Using this method, the researchers took high-resolution pictures of the edge of a silicon wafer and of metallic letters painted onto a piece of silicon less than half a millimeter wide. They also demonstrated that it is possible to apply this technique to a tissue sample (in this case, chicken skin) without destroying it. With further testing, the researchers say the microscope could be used to detect early signs of melanoma; until then, it may be useful for non-medical applications, such as inspecting the surface of semiconductors.

via New microscope might see beneath skin in 4-D.

‘Time Cells’ Weave Events Into Memories

Time is what keeps everything from happening at once, the American theoretical physicist John Wheeler once said. In the mind, as in the outside world, the flow of events contains individual experiences strung together in sequence yet separated by gaps in time. New research shows that during these gaps, neurons in a part of the brain called the hippocampus encode each “empty” moment as precisely as the surrounding events, allowing the brain to make detailed representations of time.

The hippocampus has long been known as a center for navigation and memory. Research into this sea horse-shaped structure shows the importance of “place cells,” groups of which fire when a person or animal is at a certain location. The firing pattern provides the neural basis of the mental maps used to find one’s way around. But the hippocampus also encodes “episodic” memories of events as they occur in time. Thus, many researchers wondered whether the hippocampus also contains “time cells.”

…As reported online today in Neuron, recordings from some 300 hippocampal neurons showed that during the 10-second delay, about a third of the cells fired did so one after another throughout the delay even though nothing was happening. The researchers surmised that the hippocampus was encoding the passage of time during the empty period, bridging the gap between the two phases of the test.

When the researchers lengthened the delay, although some neurons continued firing at the same time points, others altered their activity as though they were recalibrating to fit the new time duration. …

Eichenbaum believes that by having some neurons keep to their accustomed firing pattern, the hippocampus allows the animal to retain its memory of the original conditions, whereas the cells that change are adapting to the new reality. “This is exactly the way place cells behave,” Eichenbaum says. “Learning a new spatial layout doesn’t mean you forget the old one.”

The researchers also found that although there was always a sequential firing pattern during the delay period, it involved slightly different groups of neurons depending on which object was used to start the test. According to Eichenbaum, this finding foreshadows human ability to keep track of evolving, complex situations— changing social landscapes or shifting political loyalties, for example. …

via ‘Time Cells’ Weave Events Into Memories – ScienceNOW.

A few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong

Some people believe the world revolves around them — and their belief is born not of selfishness but of faith.

A few conservative Roman Catholics are pointing to a dozen Bible verses and the church’s original teachings as proof that Earth is the center of the universe, the view that was at the heart of the church’s clash with Galileo Galilei four centuries ago.

The relatively obscure movement has gained a following among those who find comfort in knowing there are still staunch defenders of early church doctrine.

“This subject is, as far as I can see, an embarrassment to the modern church because the world more or less looks upon geocentrism, or someone who believes it, in the same boat as the flat Earth,” said James Phillips ofCicero, Ill.

Phillips attends Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Church in Oak Park, Ill., a parish run by the Society of St. Pius X, which rejects most of the modernizing reforms made by the Vatican II council from 1962 to 1965.

But by challenging modern science, proponents of a geocentric universe are challenging the very church they seek to serve and protect.

“I have no idea who these people are,” said Brother Guy Consolmagno, curator of meteorites and spokesman for the Vatican Observatory. “Are they sincere, or is this a clever bit of theater?”

Those promoting geocentrism argue that heliocentrism, or the centuries-old consensus among scientists that Earth revolves around the sun, is a conspiracy to squelch the church’s influence.

“Heliocentrism becomes dangerous if it is being propped up as the true system when, in fact, it is a false system,” said Robert Sungenis, leader of a budding movement to get scientists to reconsider. “False information leads to false ideas, and false ideas lead to illicit and immoral actions — thus the state of the world today.… Prior to Galileo, the church was in full command of the world, and governments and academia were subservient to her.”

Sungenis is no Don Quixote. Hundreds of curiosity seekers, skeptics and supporters attended a conference last fall titled “Galileo Was Wrong. The Church Was Right” near the University of Notre Dame campus inSouth Bend, Ind.

Astrophysicists at Notre Dame didn’t appreciate the group hitching its wagon to America’s flagship Catholic university and resurrecting a concept that’s extinct for a reason.

“It’s an idea whose time has come and gone,” astrophysics professor Peter Garnavich said. “There are some people who want to move the world back to the 1950s when it seemed like a better time. These are people who want to move the world back to the 1250s.” …

via A few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong – latimes.com.

Exploding star to be visible from Earth within a fortnight

The most visible exploding star in a generation will be visible in skies above Britain within a fortnight, Oxford University astronomers have announced.

The supernova, triggered by the collapse of a star 21 million light years away from Earth, began on Tuesday and could soon be bright enough to see through a pair of binoculars.

The cosmic event, observed by Oxford scientists and American colleagues, is one of the closest stellar explosions to Earth since 1987, and is the nearest example of its type to be seen from Earth in 40 years.

The rare “type 1a” supernova – an event where a star explodes, then sucks up the energy from another nearby star and is reborn – happened in the Pinwheel Galaxy, located in the Great Bear constellation.

It is of particular interest to scientists because type 1a supernovae can be used to measure the size and age of the universe.

The supernova, dubbed PTF11kly, is close enough that astronomers will be able to study it in unprecedented detail, and Nasa announced it would tear up the Hubble telescope’s work schedule to study the phenomenon from Saturday.

For the first three weeks after the explosion, the supernova will burn with the brightness of more than a billion Suns, but experts warned that it would still be difficult for the general public to locate in the night sky.

Dr Mark Sullivan, who led the Oxford team, said: “The best time to see this exploding star will be just after evening twilight in the Northern hemisphere in a week or so’s time … You’ll need dark skies and a good pair of binoculars, although a small telescope would be even better.”

Tom Boles, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Association, added: “Most amateur astronomers detect supernovas using electronic sensors, so to be able to see one at all is tremendous and to be able to see it using binoculars is pretty much unprecedented.

“To find it will be relatively easy if you know where to look, but someone who has not done it before will probably fail because you really need to know where the Pinwheel Galaxy is, and even then it will not appear that bright.” …

via Exploding star to be visible from Earth within a fortnight – Telegraph.

King Arthur’s round table may have been found by archaeologists in Scotland

Archaeologists searching for King Arthur’s round table have found a “circular feature” beneath the historic King’s Knot in Stirling.

The King’s Knot, a geometrical earthwork in the former royal gardens below Stirling Castle, has been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years.

Though the Knot as it appears today dates from the 1620s, its flat-topped central mound is thought to be much older.

Writers going back more than six centuries have linked the landmark to the legend of King Arthur.

Archaeologists from Glasgow University, working with the Stirling Local History Society and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society, conducted the first ever non-invasive survey of the site in May and June in a bid to uncover some of its secrets.

Their findings were show there was indeed a round feature on the site that pre-dates the visible earthworks. …

Historian John Harrison, chair of the SLHS, who initiated the project, said: “Archaeologists using remote-sensing geophysics, have located remains of a circular ditch and other earth works beneath the King’s Knot.

“The finds show that the present mound was created on an older site and throws new light on a tradition that King Arthur’s Round Table was located in this vicinity.”

Stories have been told about the curious geometrical mound for hundreds of years — including that it was the Round Table where King Arthur gathered his knights.

Around 1375 the Scots poet John Barbour said that “the round table” was south of Stirling Castle, and in 1478 William of Worcester told how “King Arthur kept the Round Table at Stirling Castle”.

Sir David Lindsay, the 16th century Scottish writer, added to the legend in 1529 when he said that Stirling Castle was home of the “Chapell-royall, park, and Tabyll Round”.

It has also been suggested the site is partly Iron Age or medieval, or was used as a Roman fort.

Extensive work on the royal gardens was carried out in the early 17th century for Charles I, when the mound is thought to have taken its current form. …

via King Arthur’s round table may have been found by archaeologists in Scotland – Telegraph.

It’s official — chocolate linked to heart health

Emma Dickinson – High levels of chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

The findings confirm results of existing studies that generally agree on a potential beneficial link between chocolate consumption and heart health. However, the authors stress that further studies are needed to test whether chocolate actually causes this reduction or if it can be explained by some other unmeasured (confounding) factor.

The findings will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris at 10:10 hrs (Paris time) / 09:10 hrs (UK time) on Monday 29 August 2011.

The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2030, nearly 23.6 million people will die from heart disease. However, lifestyle and diet are key factors in preventing heart disease, says the paper.

A number of recent studies have shown that eating chocolate has a positive influence on human health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity (a stage in the development of diabetes).

However, the evidence about how eating chocolate affects your heart still remains unclear. So, Dr Oscar Franco and colleagues from the University of Cambridge carried out a large scale review of the existing evidence to evaluate the effects of eating chocolate on cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.

They analysed the results of seven studies, involving over 100,000 participants with and without existing heart disease. For each study, they compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption against the group with the lowest consumption. Differences in study design and quality were also taken into account to minimise bias.

Five studies reported a beneficial link between higher levels of chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events. They found that the “highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with lowest levels.” No significant reduction was found in relation to heart failure.

The studies did not differentiate between dark or milk chocolate and included consumption of chocolate bars, drinks, biscuits and desserts.

The authors say the findings need to be interpreted with caution, in particular because commercially available chocolate is very calorific (around 500 calories for every 100 grams) and eating too much of it could lead to weight gain, risk of diabetes and heart disease.

However, they conclude that given the health benefits of eating chocolate, initiatives to reduce the current fat and sugar content in most chocolate products should be explored.

via It’s official — chocolate linked to heart health.

Cool. I’ve been eating unsweetened chocolate every day for years now.

Earl of Glasgow asks to keep graffiti mural

A peer has asked to keep a controversial graffiti mural on the walls of his family’s 13th century castle in Ayrshire.

The Earl of Glasgow has written to Historic Scotland asking if the exhibit can remain as a permanent feature of Kelburn Castle in Largs.

The mural features a psychedelic series of interwoven cartoons depicting surreal urban culture.

It was completed by Brazilian graffiti artists in 2007 at a cost of £20,000.

It was permitted by North Ayrshire Council on the understanding that it was temporary.

A three-year limit was put on the graffiti, pending the start of work to replace the harling render on the exterior of the turret.

The castle is located in the grounds of Kelburn Estate, which also houses a country centre open to the public and featuring a series of outdoor attractions.

‘Top ten’

Last month the mural was named as one of the world’s top ten examples of street art by author and designer Tristan Manco – on a par with Banksy’s work in Los Angeles and the Favela Morro Da Providencia in Rio de Janeiro. …

via BBC News – Earl of Glasgow asks to keep graffiti mural.