Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology

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HOW HANDPHONES REALLY WORKS FOR YOU

By admin, 6 months and 9 days ago

Imagine living life without your hand phones, pretty hard right?  We are all aware of the advantages these hand phones give us and how it made our life easy.  We could go on all day enumerating these advantages.  Would you believe me if I say these hand phones have as much disadvantages compare to its advantages or maybe even more.  Or you'd tell yourself, I am overreacting.  Let us start enumerating then so I may give you warnings.
Aside from the common disadvantages these mobile phones cause us like; they are expensive but can easily be broken, people spend less time bonding with their family and friends because they are busy texting, people will not eat because they rather use their phones, people just contact through mobile phone and became too lazy to meet outside, disturb us on our studies and works, people spend lots and lots of money buying the latest model to get updated, mobile phone makes it easier to invade privacy.  And of course let us not forget the driving safety.

Those are the most common ones, but how about the ones we are not aware of.  These may surprise you.

Mobile phones are unsafe, they have negative health effects.  Like microwaves that emit radiation, hand phones have handful of radiation as well.  Federal Communication Commission a.k.a FCC does have a standard that defines the maximum RF energy allowed to be absorbed through the head when using a mobile phone, measured through a value called the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR):

According to FCC, the SAR is a value that corresponds to the relative amount of RF energy absorbed in the head of a user of a wireless handset. The FCC limit for public exposure from cellular telephones is an SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg).

Studies showed that microwave radiation is unsafe and then mobile phones use microwave radiation to communicate thus making mobile phones unsafe.  After all, the human body is an extremely sensitive electrochemical instrument that uses various wave-based electrical processes (e.g. brain waves), each characterized by a specific frequency.

A study by Swedish researchers suggests the link between mobile phone use and Alzheimer's Disease:  Mobile phones damage key brain cells and could trigger the early onset of Alzheimer's disease. …Researchers have found that radiation from mobile phone handsets damages areas of the brain associated with learning, memory and movement.

In addition to that electromagnetic waves alter [electric activity of the brain] and cause disturbance in sleep; cause difficulty in concentration, fatigue, and headache; and increase reaction time in a time-dependent manner.  They increase the resting blood pressure and reduce the production of melatonin. They are also implicated in DNA strand breaks.

Furthermore, studies have linked mobile phone use with brain cancer, mouth cancer and leukemia.  Plus, it may cause disturbance to a developing brain like that of teenagers.

And did you know that the use of mobile phones can cause infertility to men?
The decrease in sperm count, motility, viability, and normal morphology is related to the duration of exposure to cell phones.

If we are affected by the radiation on phones what more are the children.  Preadolescent children are more vulnerable [to microwave radiation] because of their thinner skulls, their still developing nervous systems, their increased levels of cell division, and their less robust immune systems.

And of course cell phone addiction, remember, any addiction is harmful.  I hope this will serve as a warning to all.

Gene Therapy Restores Sense Of Smell

By admin, 9 months and 9 days ago

Researchers from University of Michigan Medical School, along with the help of other universities, have published a report on Nature Medicine about gene therapy helping people restore the sense of smell.

The mice they used for the study are those with a genetic defect that results in having less amounts of microscopic hairs in their body (cilia) that they rely on for detecting chemicals in the air. Microscopic cilia are sticking out from numerous cells in their body and even simple damages on them can be severely harmful for the rat. But if losing the sense of smell for mice could bring poor feeding habits and lead to death, for humans this can be equally fatal.

To do the experiment, scientists planted the genes into cells of the mice through a common cold virus that contains many normal DNA, enabling it to infect cells easily. It was then injected into the nose of the mice for 3 consecutive days. Two weeks after they were given the 3-day treatment, researchers discovered that the mice have gained weight by 60%, lending proof that feeding habits improved. For scam prevention, they verified that the neurons of the mice are working properly when exposed to banana oil (amyl acetate).

«At the molecular level, function that had been absent was restored. The scientists say that almost all cells in the body have the ability to grow one or more cilia...When loss of smell occurs, receptors the connect odorants are restrained on the cilia, resulting the loss of cilia, and the loss of sense of smell,» said one of the researchers.

However, it will take more studies for this to be applicable to humans who have lost their ability to smell due to medical conditions (though for people who cannot smell because of old age or nose trauma, this treatment is believed to be inapplicable).

Professor Philip Beales of the University College London who was also involved in the research said, «It is a proof of concept that has shown we can get that gene back into these cells, produce the right protein, produce cilia and function as expected.

First Ever Digital Model of an Entire Organism Created

By admin, 10 months and 18 days ago

Scientists from J. Craig Venter Institute and Stanford University have successfully built a computational model of an entire organism in computer software -- for the first time ever.

This incredible feat will provide the bioengineering researchers a global analysis of the allocation and use of energy in the cell along with identifying usual molecular pathologies behind single-gene disruption characteristics.

The simulation of an organism will undoubtedly help researchers in better understanding biology, cells in particular. Moreover, it could aid in speeding up research or permitting a test that will not be possible in actual conditions.

According to the team's lead scientist, «If you use a model to guide your experiments, you're going to discover things faster. We've shown that time and time again.»

The scientists used data from more than 900 scientific papers written about the bacterium that covered all molecular processes taking place within the organism's lifecycle. Grouped into 28 different modules are the resulting 1,900 resulting parameters. Modules are responsible for their respective biological process and is controlled by its own algorithm. Moreover, modules can communicate amongst each other, replicating the actual processes inside the living bacterium.

The reason for choosing the M. genitalium as the subject is because of its size -- it has the smallest known genome (with 521 genes in a circular chromosome of almost 583,000 base pairs) among any free-living organism that can constitute a cell. It is also the second-smallest bacterium, next to the more conventional lab bacterium E. coli.

In order to simulate just one cell division, a cluster of 128 computer units running for 10 hours were used to generate the data on 25 types of molecules involved in the cell's life cycle. The resulting data amounts to 500Mb, which could not look like much but is actually very big already when you consider that it is a very tiny organism.

«Right now, running a simulation for a single cell to divide only one time takes around 10 hours and generates half a gigabyte of data. I find this fact completely fascinating, because I don't know that anyone has ever asked how much data a living thing truly holds,» said the lead scientist to Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology.

6 Chosen for Mars Food Mission

By admin, 11 months and 9 days ago

Six so-called 'gastronauts' were chosen by researchers to be part of a 4-month Mars food mission - except that it's not actually on Mars but only in a simulated area in Hawaii.

The food mission, called the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) is an investment by University of Hawaii and Cornell University. It is a part of a NASA study with the aim of knowing the best ways to keep astronauts well-fed and in good welfare during a long-haul mission on space.

«It was very difficult to narrow the pool down. We had about 150 highly qualified applicants, and pretty much everyone we interviewed would have done very well in the habitat,» said a member of the research team leading the study.

The six crew members selected consist of a biologist, a materials scientist, a geology professor, a Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology journalist, a robotics programmer and a research space scientist. Three other finalists, compose of a space systems engineer, a business owner and a NASA astronaut, were chosen to be reserve crew members in case someone of the 6 had to abandon the mission.

All of the chosen crew members is set to undergo two weeks of further training this year to prepare them for the 4-month exercise beginning March of next year. Each of them will receive USD 5,500 for their time.

The main goal of HI-SEAS is to know how the astronauts' diet affect their morale and health while staying in space conditions. Moreover, one of the issues on a long-duration mission in space is the possibility of menu fatigue which could result in less appetite, and eventually, less weight. Researchers are also anxious to determine how much water, power and time it would require for the crew to cook food as compared to instant food.

The announcement and selection from over 700 applicants were made by the University of Hawaii and Cornell University.

Thousands of Tubes Damaged at Calif Nuclear Plant

By admin, 1 year ago

Over 1,300 tubes containing radioactive water inside San Onofre nuclear plant's steam generators in California has been reportedly damaged enough that they need to be taken out of service.

To date, the safety of tubing that snakes around the plant's 4 steam generators were installed in a multimillion-dollar upgrade three years ago.

According to the company's official statement on Monday, 807 tubes in Unit 3 and 510 tubes from Unit 2 reactors were retired. Every generator has almost 10,000 tubes and the total number of plugged tubes would not affect a proper operation of the plant.

Their statement came just days after an executive from Edison International announced that the firm plans to restart at least one of the reactors in the coming months. They are apparently planning which reactor will run at reduced energy for several months at least, because engineers are of the opinion that it will solve the problem of vibration -- something that the firm suspects is causing the unexpected wear in the alloy tubes.


The chairman of Edison, SCE's parent company, reportedly called investors to notify them of the premature wear found in around 1% of 39,000 tubes in the generators.

A nuclear watchdog Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology issued a warning, saying in effect that it seems «the new steam generators are falling apart and Edison doesn't know why. It would be foolhardy to restart, even at reduced power, under the current circumstances.»

The nuclear plant is owned by the Riverside City together with San Diego Gas and Electric and SCE. A joint statement released last week by the California Independent System Operator and Edison gave possible dates this June for planning. However, government regulators were quick to assert that there is no timetable for a restart -- something that would still need a federal approval.

The alert concerns stemmed from an incident in January when the third reactor was shut off after a tube broke. But although radiation has escaped during that time, officials were quick to assure residents and workers that there was no imminent danger. Earlier that month, the second unit was shut down for its regular maintenance but investigators discovered instead of premature wear on hundreds of tubes that were only installed 2 years ago by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. (The first unit operated on 1968 was dismantled in 1992.)

The tubes stand for a crucial safety barrier, that is, if a tube breaks then there is considerable chance for radioactivity to escape onto the atmosphere. Serious leaks could also use up the protective cooling water employed in a reactor.

SCE estimates that the repair expenses could cost about USD 55 to 65 million, aside from the initial USD 30 million it has spent to replace the output from the 2 reactors earlier this year.

Target to Stop Selling Kindle

By admin, 1 year ago

Target, the 2nd largest discount chain announced that it will stop offering Amazon's e-reader Kindle because of a «conflict of interest» while Barnes & Noble and Apple devices will continue to be offered.

According to Molly Snyder, Target spokesperson, the decision to drop Kindle e-readers starting this spring came after a review of the retailer's merchandise, which consisted of evaluations on prices and quality of their products. However, Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology got a hold of an internal memo regarding the removal of Amazon hardware (Kindle) from Target stores starting this month and while some accessories are to remain in stock, shipments of the tablet will stop beginning on May 13.

Before the Minneapolis-based retailer started offering Kindles in June 2010, Amazon only sold the tablet on its own website. But after recognizing the need of customers to see the products in person before buying, Amazon approached Target for some sort of partnership, followed by WalMart, Best Buy and Staples. Even though most of the Kindle items are being sold at Amazon, Target's 1,800 stores nationwide have made it one of the biggest Kindle retailers in the physical world. In fact, Target has announced after last year's Thanksgiving that the Kindle was the bestselling tablet in its stores.

Target's move is perhaps due to the fact that Apple products are being promoted prominently in the store. But Snyder declined to say more but «We will continue to offer our guests a full assortment of e-readers and supporting accessories» regarding the apparent partnership with Apple.

According to a statement from the retailer, the «very tight alignment» of Kindle with the online store Amazon, their direct competitor, explains the conflicting interest presented as the reason.

Target's decision to drop Kindle might also be a boycott to manufacturers' using their brick and mortar stores to as a showroom of products. This often happens as customers go to retailers like Target in order to personally check out an item and then buy the item online for a cheaper price. In fact, Target has already appealed to vendors for aid in developing exclusive products and rivaling prices online.

«What we aren't willing to do is let online-only retailers use our brick-and-mortar stores as a showroom for their products and undercut our prices,» said a Target in a statement.

The absence of Kindle from Target stores is not likely to stop Amazon customers from visiting Target for other products but Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology said the move will definitely send a message to Amazon.

300,000 will Lose Internet on July 9

By admin, 1 year and 1 month ago

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned this week that over 300,000 users around the world could face Internet loss on July 9 due to a massive scam spanning several years.

In 2011, the FBI and Estonian authorities have arrested 6 locals on fraudulent activities after their 2 year sting operation dubbed Operation Ghost Click. The group was responsible for infecting computer systems globally with their malware called DNS Changer. The servers used by the criminals were confiscated but a Russian is still at large. According to Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology, the swindlers have raked around USD 14 million from the scam involving online ads.

According to FBI estimates, up to 568,000 computer units were infected with the virus and 300,000 of them could still be unaware of the problem. The German Federal Office for Information Security and the FBI has initially planned to get the DNS servers offline by March 8 but since there were still 450,000 infections at that time, the shutdown was postponed to July 9.

What makes the virus very potent is the fact that it can affect a wide range of computer systems except for Linux, Android and iOS. The DNS Changer virus intercepts websites being accessed by a browser and redirects the traffic to a website operated by the cybercriminals. They earn money by pointing users to various ads online.

To date, this Trojan virus first identified in 2007 has already infected millions of computer units worldwide and remained active until the recent FBI operation. The malware, also known as «Jahlav», «Puper», «RSPlug» has been one of the most widespread malware attacks that even spanned Windows- and Mac-based units as well as network hardware.

If the FBI should just decide to pull the plug on the DNS servers, millions will instantly suffer the loss of Internet and could have a negative impact worldwide. Even if the users identified and changed their DNS settings, it would be useless as the malware constantly reverts it back, disrupting connections.

However, maintaining the web servers does not come cheap so they are set to be shut down on July. Consequently, infected systems won't be able to connect to the internet after that, as they have their settings altered to redirect all web traffic through the seized servers. To prevent a web blackout for the affected people, FBI chose to keep the DNS servers running after converting it into a legal system. A surrogate server system has been created where an informational website regarding the malware is being hosted. The campaign to notify people of the DNS Changer virus has started.

Another solution that the FBI has not utilized yet is converting the seized servers to issue a DNS redirect itself in order to notify affected people of the problem and to give resources on how to clean their systems. That would arguably be an easier option to implement but the agency has yet to apply it.

Fortunately for users with infected units, a solutions has been presented by the FBI through its dcwg.org website where people can check if their computer has been infected with the malware along with instructions on how to disinfect. The said website is being maintained by the DNS Changer Working Group which is also responsible for the seized servers. As of January, Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology said that there is still around 450,000 units still infected with the DNS Changer virus.

Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology: Bomb Plot Foiled in Afghanistan

By admin, 1 year and 1 month ago

The Defense Ministry of Afghanistan went into a lockdown on Tuesday following the discovery of 11 vests filled with explosives inside the compound, which is located in a high-security perimeter near the palace of the president. This prompted the arrest of 16 Afghan soldiers suspected of being in on the plot.

Six soldiers of the Afghan National Army were reportedly arrested at the ministry, raising further concerns that Taliban might be trying to open another phase of fighting.

However, the Defense Ministry strongly denied any truth about the reports, saying that they are «absolutely untrue». They are completely rejecting any claim that explosive vests were found in their compound and that no arrest had happened. Those denials were in turn contradicted by many Western and Afghan officials and news sources who reported a lockdown that day.

Apparently, the plan is to detonate the explosives-filled jackets to blow up buses used by ministry personnel to travel to and from work. The buses were scheduled to set out 45 minutes after the discovery was made and their number, 11, corresponds to the number of vests discovered at the ministry

The discovery of this foiled bomb plot seems to have raised fears that Afghanistan might be facing another wave of attacks from rebels like the previous year. Add to that the concerns that their very own military and police personnel might be involved in the insurgency. In recent months, authorities have been targeting their colleagues along with foreign military force. Furthermore, it becomes more apparent that Afghan security forces could not reliably take over the national security after the US-led coalition pull out on 2014.

But according to two Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology officials, the threat has really came from «faulty intelligence». This was after some news agencies have reported that 11 vests with explosives were discovered in the capital's ministry which resulted in the arrest of 16 Afghan soldiers. In turn, the ministry issued rebuttal statements while calling the media reports groundless: «No one was captured. Eleven suicide vests have not been recovered.»

Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology: New Study: Niceness Depends on Genes

By admin, 1 year and 2 months ago

A new study from research psychologists reveals that kindness and generosity are apparently because of people's genes.

Michel Poulin, an assistant professor of psychology at University of Buffalo is the main author of the study entitled «The Neurogenics of Niceness» published in Psychological Science, a journal of Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology, this month.

E. Alison Holman from University of California and Anneke Buffone of University of Buffalo co-authored the study that examined the behavior of subjects to find if niceness or «feelings of charity and social responsibility» corresponded with having a gene that produces a specific type of receptor for vasopressin and oxytocin.

Laboratory studies and relationship research in the past have showed evidence linking 'niceness' to hormones vasopressin and oxytocin. These two have been found out to instigate feelings of generosity and love when they flood the brain and bind to neurons. (Hormones work by combining to our cells via different kinds of receptors. There are a number of genes that control how vasopressin and oxytocin receptors function.)

They concluded that the genes actually work together with an individual's life experiences and upbringing in determining how sociable he becomes. Poulin said that the genes, combined with personal perceptions of someone can predict generosity.

Though Poulin is quick to emphasize that they are not claiming to have discovered a niceness gene per se. «But we have found a gene that makes a contribution. What I find so interesting is the fact that it only makes a contribution in the presence of certain feelings people have about the world around them.»

According to Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology, the study is an attempt to apply former conclusions to social behaviors on a bigger scale in order to determine if the chemicals really nudge an individual into pro-social behavior (e.g. giving blood, reporting crime, giving to charity or paying taxes).

Subjects participated in an Internet survey with questions regarding their charitable activities, their civic duty and their feelings toward the world (i.e. whether they deem people to be more good than bad). Out of those participants, 711 have given saliva sample for DNA analysis that showed what kind of receptors they have of the vasopressin and oxytocin.

From the participating subjects, 51.5% who have different types of receptors for the 2 genes basically had no connection between the subject's behavior and his perceived threat from others. This means that the niceness genes enable someone to overcome his own opinion of the world being an unsafe place and helped others despite his prejudice.

«The fact that the genes predicted behavior only in combination with people's experiences and feelings about the world isn't surprising because most connections between DNA and social behavior are complex,» said Poulin.

This is not the first time a study was made regarding a link between genetics and human behavior. In 2011, researchers from University of Edinburgh have published their study in the Biology Letters journal that shows traits of selflessness appear to be genetic. They included 1,000 pairs of twins in their study, both fraternal and identical.

Norton Medical and Scientific Research & Biotechnology: Transistors the Size of One Atom Created

By admin, 1 year and 2 months ago

A transistor made up of only one atom has been made, according to a report published this month in Nature Nanotechnology. Physicists have built a working transistor using just one phosphorus atom accurately placed in a silicon crystal.

A group of researchers from Australia, US and South Korea have cooperated in creating a single-atom transistor from a single phosphorus atom in silicon.

According to researchers of Purdue University who already did digital simulations of transistors, this technique that utilizes liquid nitrogen-cooled device can only be possible at very low temperatures of negative 391 F.

It is made possible through manipulating single atoms in a scanning tunneling microscope. In the past, silicon's atomic structure has made it hard to engineer circuits using STMs in an atomic scale. What they used is a combination of etching and STM to make a transistor with an accurate location on a silicon surface.

A transistor is the device that can switch and/or amplify an electronic signal, provided that it is connected to an external circuit by at least 3 terminals. Transistors are made of semiconductor materials and are basically crucial in today's lifestyle for they are part of almost every electronic device we have like mobile phones and computers.

Ordinary transistor dimensions are becoming smaller in time owing to the improvements in nanotechnology and materials used. Reducing the size of transistors is a big deal for every device that depends on the number of transistors in them for their efficiency.

The miniaturization was previously described in 1965 by the co-founder of Intel, Gordon Moore. He observed the trend of transistors at that time and formulated what is known today as Moore's Law. It states that the number of transistors in one chip of a computer will double every two years (18-24 months). However, there is a warning that this cannot go on forever and a limit will eventually be reached when the smallest possible transistor is made, which according to Moore's Law should be around 2020. Apparently, we have reached the limit far too early as it is not possible to reduce a transistor already in the size of a single atom.

And just to make sure the idea of how small we are talking about here sinks in, think one ten-billionth of a meter -- that's 100 picometers, the diameter of 1 (one) phosphorus atom.

Their group has proved that it's possible to put a phosphorus atom in silicon with atomic precision.

The team of developers is hoping that their method of manipulation in an atomic scale can be used as founding blocks for quantum computers or devices that use quantum mechanics to represent digital data. Though even with this breakthrough, there is fair warning that quantum computers might not be possible to build.

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