'I told her 'People love you',' Nicki Minaj says of Holcomb's exit on Thursday night's 'Idol.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Kelly Marino
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706755/american-idol-amber-holcomb-elimination-judges-react.jhtml
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Study uncovers mechanism for how grapes reduce heart failure associated with hypertension
Friday, May 3, 2013A study appearing in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry? demonstrates that grapes are able to reduce heart failure associated with chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) by increasing the activity of several genes responsible for antioxidant defense in the heart tissue. Grapes are a known natural source of antioxidants and other polyphenols, which researchers believe to be responsible for the beneficial effects observed with grape consumption. This study, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and conducted at the University of Michigan Health System, uncovered a novel way that grapes exert beneficial effects in the heart: influencing gene activities and metabolic pathways that improve the levels of glutathione, the most abundant cellular antioxidant in the heart.
An estimated 1 billion people worldwide have hypertension, which increases the risk of heart failure by 2 to 3-fold. Heart failure resulting from chronic hypertension can result in an enlarged heart muscle that becomes thick and rigid (fibrosis), and unable to fill with blood properly (diastolic dysfunction) or pump blood effectively. Oxidative stress is strongly correlated with heart failure, and deficiency of glutathione is regularly observed in both human and animal models of heart failure. Antioxidant-rich diets, containing lots of fruits and vegetables, consistently correlate with reduced hypertension.
In this study, conducted at the University of Michigan Health System, hypertensive, heart failure-prone rats were fed a grape-enriched diet for 18 weeks. The results reproduced earlier findings that grape consumption reduced the occurrence of heart muscle enlargement and fibrosis, and improved the diastolic function of the heart. Furthermore, the mechanism of action was uncovered: grape intake "turned on" antioxidant defense pathways, increasing the activity of related genes that boost production of glutathione.
"Our earlier studies showed that grapes could protect against the downward spiral of hypertensive heart failure, but just how that was accomplished ? the mechanism ? was not yet known," said lead investigator E. Mitchell Seymour, Ph.D. "The insights gained from our NIH study, including the ability of grapes to influence several genetic pathways related to antioxidant defense, provide further evidence that grapes work on multiple levels to deliver their beneficial effects."
Seymour noted that the next phase of the NIH study, which will continue into 2014, will allow his team to further define the mechanisms of grape action, and also look at the impact of whole grape intake compared to individual grape phytonutrients on hypertension-associated heart failure.
"Our hypothesis is that whole grapes will be superior to any individual grape component, in each of the areas being investigated," said Dr. Seymour. "The whole fruit contains hundreds of individual components, which we suspect likely work together to provide a synergistic beneficial effect."
The insights gained from this research will further the knowledge on grapes and heart health, but will also provide translational information on the value of dietary (whole foods) and dietary supplement approaches for prevention of heart disease stemming from chronic hypertension.
"The NIH grant is allowing the team at the University of Michigan Medical System to expand its work in this important area and further highlight the multi-faceted role of grapes in supporting heart health," said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. "This work will also provide key insights into the role of whole fruit versus individual components of a fruit, using grapes as the benchmark."
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? Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2013.01.008.
University of Michigan Health System: http://www.med.umich.edu
Thanks to University of Michigan Health System for this article.
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When someone says "The idea is extremely simple, a tiny tesla coil inside a fake hammer" we look up "simple in the dictionary just to check. This is Hack a day though, where simple can mean almost anything -- in this case a genuine electrified Mjölnir replica. All you need to make your own is the aforementioned tesla coil (you have one right?), some foam, a battery pack and, well... the ability to follow instructions. Fittingly, the first attempt at Thor's hammer went on a saga of its own, suffering damage at the hands of the delivery service en route to a studio. No bother for our resident hacksters though, who patched it back up in no time to the fully functioning -- if a little over-sized -- model you'll see in the video past the break.
Source: Hack a day
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A new camera was modeled on the compound eyes of insects. As such, it has a curved rather than flat lens. This enables a 160-degree field of view, making it well-suited for security cameras or drones.?
Image of a digital camera with a hemispherical, compound design inspired by eyes found in the insect world.
University of Illinois and Beckman Institute
EnlargeBug eyes, bird eyes and human eyes all have one thing in common: They're round. Almost every ocular organ found in nature has some kind of curvature.
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So why do all man-made cameras use flat lenses and inflexible silicon chips?
Taking nature as their guide, several scientists have developed a "bug's eye" digital camera directly modeled after those of insects, such as flies, ants and beetles.
The compound eyes found in most insects consist of long, cylindrical units called omatidia: a cornea connected to a photosensitive organ and surrounded with a dark pigment to prevent light from one lens leaking into neighboring lenses. These omatidia are clustered together in a dome shape with the lenses facing outward, and collectively, they form the compound eye of the insect.
"If you look at the design of the compound eye in the insect world and look at our device, there are really strict and explicit analogies between all the component parts," said John Rogers, a professor at the University of Illinois, explaining the process he and his fellow researchers used to creating their "bio-inspired" camera.
The finished camera's "omatidia" consist of a tiny microlens connected to a photoreceptive computer chip by an elastomer, or molecular compound with elastic properties.
Between 200 and 500 of these artificial omatidia are embedded in a sheet of curved and flexible rubber. "That corresponds to the number [of omatidia] you find in an ant or a common bark beetle," Rogers explained. "That's the low end of what you find in insects. The high end would be something like a praying mantis or a dragonfly, where the range [of omatidia per compound eye] is 10,000 to 20,000."
Producing a bug's eye camera of that resolution is possible, Rogers says, but it would require a finesse that the team simply couldn't achieve from their academic lab. Creating cameras with resolutions of "dragonfly and beyond," as Rogers puts it, would require the type of specialization available at state of the art manufacturing facilities.
The team's insect-inspired camera has multiple advantages over its flat-lens man-made counterparts, particularly when it comes to photographing multiple subjects simultaneously. With a field of view of 160 degrees, the camera can also capture landscape views without the peripheral distance and light distortion that are common in traditional wide-capture lenses.
Another of the camera's advantages is that the plastic sheet in which the omatidia are embedded is flexible, meaning it can be placed on both flat and curved surfaces or even blown up like a balloon to adjust its range of capture.
These features make the bug's eye camera well-suited to surveillance purposes such as security cameras or drones, Rogers suggested.
There's also room in the commercial camera market for cameras that eschew the traditional flat lens design. "One size does not fit all [when it comes to cameras], and the same thing will be true for man-made cameras ? There may be opportunities for applications that require extremely wide field of view, which the insect world has mastered," Rogers told TechNewsDaily.
It'll probably be a couple of years before something like the bug's eye camera is available in commercial outlets. Meanwhile, Rogers hopes find new ways to apply nature's optical imaging systems to man-made technology. Lobsters and shrimp, for example, have eyes made of box-shaped receptors that help them gather visual information even in extremely low-light conditions.
You can read the research team's full report on their bug's eye camera?in Nature scientific journal, published May 2.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/SJROrvghxiI/Bug-s-eye-camera-inspired-by-nature
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Kansas officials are vowing to fight United States Attorney General Eric Holder's claim that the state's new ban on federal gun laws is unconstitutional.
Holder wrote Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) in late April that the new law which would prohibit the enforcement of federal gun laws on all guns that are made and stay in Kansas violates the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause and that the federal government would be willing to take Kansas to court over the law, the Associated Press reported Thursday. In April, Brownback signed the law, which is being described as the most pro-Second Amendment measure in the country. It says that any federal agent who enforces a federal gun law on a "made-in-Kansas" gun would face felony charges.
"Kansas may not prevent federal employees and officials from carrying out their official responsibilities," Holder wrote to Brownback. "And a state certainly may not criminalize the exercise of federal responsibilities."
Brownback did not return messages left for comment by HuffPost.
State Rep. Brett Hildabrand (R-Shawnee), a co-sponsor of the law, told The Huffington Post that he stands behind it and that it does not violate the Constitution. Because the bill only covers guns that stay within the state, it is not subject to interstate commerce, said Hildabrand. His defense is in line with a statement released Thursday afternoon by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), who helped write the law.
Kobach, a constitutional law professor, also accused the federal government of engaging in unconstitutional actions in its Fast and Furious and amnesty cities programs, and questioned why Holder is targeting Kansas.
"The Obama administration has repeatedly violated the United States Constitution for the past four-and-a-half-years," Kobach said. "That abuse cannot continue. The state of Kansas is determined to restore the Constitution and to protect the right of its citizens to keep and bear arms."
Kobach vowed that the state would fight Holder in court, if he chooses to take legal action against Kansas. It is unclear whether Kobach, who oversees elections and record keeping, has the authority to enter the state into litigation.
Robert Cottrol, a law professor at George Washington University, told HuffPost last month that he believes the Kansas law is unconstitutional.
Hildabrand, who said the law is needed for the state's economy, deferred to Brownback on battling Holder in court.
The Kansas law has bipartisan support, including Democratic co-sponsors state Reps. Jan Pauls (Hutchison) and Brandon Whipple (Wichita), who did not return requests for comments. In February, Pauls, a former judge, told HuffPost that it would be up to the courts to determine constitutionality.
The Kansas battle comes as lawmakers in neighboring Missouri are considering similar legislation, which has passed the GOP-controlled state House. Missouri state Rep. Stacey Newman (D-St. Louis) said that Holder's action would not stop her state, but said she is glad he is taking action.
"I am really thankful and glad that the attorney general is being direct with Kansas and saying that this is blatantly unconstitutional," Newman told HuffPost. "You'd think our own legislators would be paying attention."
Also on HuffPost:
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/02/eric-holder-sam-brownback_n_3204287.html
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All Critics (98) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (99) | Rotten (8) | DVD (39)
The enthralling man-vs.-nature parable based on the late Michael Crichton's best-selling novel hasn't aged one bit.
The 3-D process adds not just dimension but depth - a technological extension of cinematographer Gregg Toland's deep-focus innovations in The Grapes of Wrath and Citizen Kane. The change in perspective creates greater intensity.
I'm a fan of this movie. It is thrilling, and the 3-D treatment is a nice enhancement.
This movie doesn't just stand the test of time, it transcends it.
"Jurassic Park" remains an absolute thrill from a Spielberg in top form: Funny, scary, fast-moving and full of just-right details.
"Jurassic Park" was impressive in 1993. Twenty years later, it's flawless.
Jurassic Park is a how-to guide for structuring a multi-character disaster film.
Still proves as thrilling as ever.
A classic gets even better.
Steven Spielbeg's 1993 tale of an island plagued dinosaurs running amok holds up surprisingly well in the special effects category.
The film is a classic and the chance to see it on the big screen again (or for the first time) should not be missed
Sentiment is explained by science as the family impulse that motivates so many Steven Spielberg stories is revealed to be an evolutionary imperative in this near-perfect action-adventure.
[Looks] better not only than effects-driven movies of the same period, but better, frankly, than half of what gets released nowadays.
Kids who love dinosaurs will love it. And who doesn't?
confirms both Spielberg's mastery of cinematic thrills and the comparatively empty bombast of today's summer tentpole movies, even the better ones.
Jurassic Park shows us a director in transition, and the film captures his transformation in its own kind of cinematic amber.
[The] 3D [conversion] provides the definitive version of this classic film. Jurassic Park has been transformed with with artistry, nuance and sophistication, and it's an absolute must-see during this brief run.
The 3D effects had me nearly jumping out of my seat. Some say Hollywood is converting too many old films to 3D. But, "Jurassic Park" was the perfect choice. There's nothing more fun than sharing a seat with a snapping dinosaur.
Spielberg treats us as he does his characters, leading us into a strange land and expecting us to make it out with all our faculties intact; it's a tall order, given the heart-stopping, bloodcurdling, limbs-numbing excitement packed into the second hour.
It is as if time has passed the movie by. "Jurassic Park" remains solid entertainment, but the awe and wonder have faded.
The thrill of seeing live dinosaurs on screen is not as acute today as it was 20 years ago admittedly, but there is still some 3D awe left in the creations that roared 65 billion years ago...
The 3D isn't pushed on the audience, but it does reveal the amount of depth that Spielberg actually put into the film 20 years ago.
While it's not the most profound of Spielberg's works or the most entertaining from a popcorn perspective, it's one of the most technically flawless movies he's ever produced.
Jurassic Park 3D is like being reunited with an old friend; an old friend that wants to eat you and maul you to death, but still. A classic is reborn in glorious IMAX with a vibrantly stunning use of 3D.
If releasing the film in 3-D is the only way to get it back in theaters, then the gimmick is an acceptable addition. The 3-D is good. But when a movie is this near flawless, nothing is needed to make it better.
The 3D conversion ruins everything, like the comet that killed the dinosaurs, making Jurassic Park the rare amusement I'd prefer to revisit at home.
Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jurassic_park_an_imax_3d_experience_1993/
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May 1, 2013 ? Research in the wake of Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious malady afflicting (primarily commercial) honey bees, suggests that pests, pathogens and pesticides all play a role. New research indicates that the honey bee diet influences the bees' ability to withstand at least some of these assaults. Some components of the nectar and pollen grains bees collect to manufacture food to support the hive increase the expression of detoxification genes that help keep honey bees healthy.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
University of Illinois professor of entomology May Berenbaum, who led the study, said that many organisms use a group of enzymes called cytochrome P450 monooxygenases to break down foreign substances such as pesticides and compounds naturally found in plants, known as phytochemicals. However, honey bees have relatively few genes dedicated to this detoxification process compared to other insect species, she said.
"Bees feed on hundreds of different types of nectar and pollen, and are potentially exposed to thousands of different types of phytochemicals, yet they only have one-third to one-half the inventory of enzymes that break down these toxins compared to other species," Berenbaum said.
Determining which of the 46 P450 genes in the honey bee genome are used to metabolize constituents of their natural diet and which are used to metabolize synthetic pesticides became a "tantalizing scientific question" to her research team, Berenbaum said.
"Every frame of honey (in the honey bee hive) is phytochemically different from the next frame of honey because different nectars went in to make the honey. If you don't know what your next meal is going to be, how does your detoxification system know which enzymes to upregulate?" Berenbaum said.
Research had previously shown that eating honey turns on detoxification genes that metabolize the chemicals in honey, but the researchers wanted to identify the specific components responsible for this activity. To do this, they fed bees a mixture of sucrose and powdered sugar, called bee candy, and added different chemical components in extracts of honey. They identified p-coumaric acid as the strongest inducer of the detoxification genes.
"We found that the perfect signal, p-coumaric acid, is in everything that bees eat -- it's the monomer that goes into the macromolecule called sporopollenin, which makes up the outer wall of pollen grains. It's a great signal that tells their systems that food is coming in, and with that food, so are potential toxins," Berenbaum said.
Her team showed that p-coumaric acid turns on not only P450 genes, but representatives of every other type of detoxification gene in the genome. This signal can also turn on honey bee immunity genes that code for antimicrobial proteins.
According to Berenbaum, three other honey constituents were effective inducers of these detoxification enzymes. These components probably originate in the tree resins that bees use to make propolis, the "bee glue" which lines all of the cells and seals cracks within a hive.
"Propolis turns on immunity genes -- it's not just an antimicrobial caulk or glue. It may be medicinal, and in fact, people use it medicinally, too," Berenbaum said.
Many commercial beekeepers use honey substitutes such as high-fructose corn syrup or sugar water to feed their colonies. Berenbaum believes the new research shows that honey is "a rich source of biologically active materials that truly matter to a bee."
She hopes that future testing and development will yield honey substitutes that contain p-coumaric acid so beekeepers can enhance their bees' ability to withstand pathogens and pesticides.
Although she doesn't recommend that beekeepers "rush out and dump p-coumaric acid into their high fructose corn syrup," she hopes that her team's research can be used as the basis of future work aimed at improving bee health.
"If I were a beekeeper, I would at least try to give them some honey year-round," Berenbaum said, "because if you look at the evolutionary history of Apis mellifera, this species did not evolve with high fructose corn syrup. It is clear that honey bees are highly adapted to consuming honey as part of their diet."
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