Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/296140178?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013
'OK' contact lenses: New technique shows promise in restoring near vision without glasses
Apr. 1, 2013 ? By middle age, most people have age-related declines in near vision (presbyopia) requiring bifocals or reading glasses. An emerging technique called hyperopic orthokeratology (OK) may provide a new alternative for restoring near vision without the need for glasses, according to new research.
The study, "Refractive Changes from Hyperopic Orthokeratology Monovision in Presbyopes," appears in the April issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins , a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
For middle-aged patients with presbyopia, wearing OK contact lenses overnight can restore up-close vision in one eye, according to the study by Paul Gifford, PhD, FAAO, and Helen A Swarbrick, PhD, FAAO, of University of New South Wales, Sydney. "The authors have shown the feasibility of correcting one eye for near vision through OK, in which overnight contact lens wear shapes the cornea of one eye to allow in-focus near vision for reading," comments Anthony Adams, OD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Optometry and Vision Science.
Overnight OK Lens Wear Restores Near Vision in One Eye
The study included 16 middle-aged patients (43 to 59 years) with age-related loss of near vision, or presbyopia. Presbyopia is caused by age-related loss of flexibility in the cornea -- the transparent front part that lets light into the eye.
Orthokeratology is a clinical technique to correct vision using specially designed rigid contact lenses to manipulate the shape of the cornea. Dr Adams likens OK therapy to orthodontic treatment using braces to change the alignment of the teeth.
Drs Gifford and Swarbick evaluated a "monocular" technique, with patients wearing a custom-made OK lens in one eye overnight for one week. To preserve normal distance vision, the other eye was left untreated.
In all patients, the monocular OK technique was successful in restoring near vision in the treated eye. The improvement was apparent on the first day after overnight OK lens wear, and increased further during the treatment week. Eye examination confirmed that the OK lenses altered the shape of the cornea, as they were designed to do.
Nightly Lens Wear Needed to Retain Correction
Vision in the untreated eye was unaffected, and all patients retained normal distance vision with that eye; essentially this gives the patient the dequivalent of 'monovision' that is usually done with contact lenses or surgery. To retain the correction in near vision, patients had to continue wearing their OK lenses every night. Dr Adams likens this ongoing treatment to the "retainer" that orthodontic patients have to wear nightly. As expected, when patients stopped wearing their OK lens after the treatment week, presbyopia rapidly returned.
By about age 45 to 50, most people need bifocals or some other form of vision correction to restore vision for reading and other up-close tasks. Alternatives for presbyopia have been introduced, including fitting a contact lens for distance vision in one eye and a lens for near vision in the other eye. This is the so called monovision, now the authors show it can be achieved without the need to wear a contact lens during the day. "However, the chief problem with monovision for many people is that their stereoscopic 3D vision is degraded and many find that hard to tolerate," according to Dr Adams.
Although overnight OK is not a new technique, it has been mainly used to reduce nearsightedness (myopia) in younger patients. The new study shows that OK is similarly effective in changing corneal shape, and achieving desired correction in near vision, in older patients with presbyopia.
The new study suggests that overnight OK lenses are a feasible alternative for correction of presbyopia, "sufficient to provide functional near vision correction white retaining good distance visual acuity," Drs Gifford and Swarbick write. The technique is safe, with the cornea returning to its previous shape about a week after the patient stops wearing the lenses.
"This study demonstrates that OK is quite viable as a nonsurgical option for monovision that does not require wearing contact lenses during the day, although it does require 'retainer' orthokeratology contact lenses to be worn overnight," Dr Adams adds. "This possibility will certainly appeal to many people, especially since the changes in the corneal curvature of the treated eye are fully reversible."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wolters Kluwer Health, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Paul Gifford, Helen A. Swarbrick. Refractive Changes From Hyperopic Orthokeratology Monovision in Presbyopes. Optometry and Vision Science, 2013; 90 (4): 306 DOI: 10.1097/OPX.0b013e318287328e
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/4HHbSvv34OQ/130401075243.htm
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Tuesday, April 2, 2013
New insights on how spiral galaxies get their arms
Apr. 2, 2013 ? Spiral galaxies are some of the most beautiful and photogenic residents of the universe. Our own Milky Way is a spiral. Our solar system and Earth reside somewhere near one of its filamentous arms. And nearly 70 percent of the galaxies closest to the Milky Way are spirals.
But despite their common shape, how galaxies like ours get and maintain their characteristic arms has proved to be an enduring puzzle in astrophysics. How do the arms of spiral galaxies arise? Do they change or come and go over time?
The answers to these and other questions are now coming into focus as researchers capitalize on powerful new computer simulations to follow the motions of as many as 100 million "stellar particles" as gravity and other astrophysical forces sculpt them into familiar galactic shapes. A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics reports simulations that seem to resolve long-standing questions about the origin and life history of spiral arms in disk galaxies.
"We show for the first time that stellar spiral arms are not transient features, as claimed for several decades," says UW-Madison astrophysicist Elena D'Onghia, who led the new research along with Harvard colleagues Mark Vogelsberger and Lars Hernquist.
"The spiral arms are self-perpetuating, persistent, and surprisingly long lived," adds Vogelsberger.
The origin and fate of the emblematic spiral arms in disk galaxies have been debated by astrophysicists for decades, with two theories predominating. One holds that the arms come and go over time. A second and widely held theory is that the material that makes up the arms -- stars, gas and dust -- is affected by differences in gravity and jams up, like cars at rush hour, sustaining the arms for long periods.
The new results fall somewhere in between the two theories and suggest that the arms arise in the first place as a result of the influence of giant molecular clouds -- star forming regions or nurseries common in galaxies. Introduced into the simulation, the clouds act as "perturbers" and are enough to not only initiate the formation of spiral arms but to sustain them indefinitely.
"We find they are forming spiral arms," explains D'Onghia. "Past theory held the arms would go away with the perturbations removed, but we see that (once formed) the arms self-perpetuate, even when the perturbations are removed. It proves that once the arms are generated through these clouds, they can exist on their own through (the influence of) gravity, even in the extreme when the perturbations are no longer there."
The new study modeled stand-alone disk galaxies, those not influenced by another nearby galaxy or object. Some recent studies have explored the likelihood that spiral galaxies with a close neighbor (a nearby dwarf galaxy, for example) get their arms as gravity from the satellite galaxy pulls on the disk of its neighbor.
According to Vogelsberger and Hernquist, the new simulations can be used to reinterpret observational data, looking at both the high-density molecular clouds as well as gravitationally induced "holes" in space as the mechanisms that drive the formation of the characteristic arms of spiral galaxies.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
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Journal Reference:
- Elena D'Onghia, Mark Vogelsberger, Lars Hernquist. Self-Perpetuating Spiral Arms in Disk Galaxies. The Astrophysical Journal, March 20, 2013 [link]
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/shO5jSkUHKs/130402124821.htm
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Kosovo Serbs anxious over Brussels talks
MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) ? Branimir Cvetnic likes to remember his hometown of Mitrovica as the lively, multicultural industrial hub it once was, rather than the grim symbol of Kosovo's ethnic division it has become.
"Back then, Mitrovica was an open city, a city for everybody. And, now ... it's not even possible to compare," said Cvetnic, 57, whose family has lived here for almost a century. "We used to live together, but can we do it again? I don't know."
Mitrovica, a former mining center in northern Kosovo, was sharply split into Serb and Albanian parts at the end of the Kosovo war in 1999. Officials from Serbia and Kosovo meet in Brussels on Tuesday in hopes of reaching an agreement that could pave the way for reuniting the city ? an agreement that the town's Serbs fear could see their demands sacrificed by a Serbia desperate to join the European Union.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but until now the Serbian government has refused to accept the split. The Serbs of northern Kosovo ? up to 50,000 people ? have rejected any authority of the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina. They have created parallel institutions, including hospitals and schools, all financed and supported from the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
But Serbia's bid for membership in the European Union has been conditioned on normalizing relations with its former province and abolishing the parallel structures.
Impoverished by years of wars and international sanctions during the 1990s, Serbia is desperately seeking to move closer to EU membership. If a deal is reached on Tuesday, Serbia will likely be granted a date to open talks with the 27-nation bloc, which means access to pre-entry funds and an improved position in the eyes of international investors. If the deal is not reached, the idea of Serbian membership would likely be put on hold by the EU.
"It will be hard economically if we don't open talks with the EU," Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic told reporters on Monday.
In a sign that agreement may be near, Serbia's influential deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said over the weekend that the country "can no longer afford a frozen conflict."
Kosovo Serbs now fear the Serbian government will abandon them to save the EU deal. In Mitrovica, they warn that reuniting the town against their will could lead to a Serb exodus or to unrest.
The ethnic division is clear in every corner of Mitrovica ? whose population is unknown since the divided groups have never managed to carry out a reliable census. A huge pile of sand and soil blocks the bridge over the Ibar river that leads into the southern, Albanian part, while Serb flags flutter on buildings and lamp posts in the northern part.
A big banner in the town center reads: "The Serb Town." The street signs are written in the Cyrillic alphabet traditionally used by Serbs, and the official currency remains the Serbian dinar, instead of the euro used by ethnic Albanians.
Underscoring the religious split ? the Serbs are Orthodox Christians while ethnic Albanians are mostly Muslims ? a large Serbian Orthodox Church overlooks the town from the Serb side. In the distance, a mosque minaret is visible in the southern part of the city. Residents from the two sides hardly ever mix.
"Whatever they may sign (in Brussels) we will fight for this to remain part of Serbia," said housewife Gordana Djokovic, defiantly.
The dispute over the Serb-held north of Kosovo has been a constant source of tension and occasional violence over the years. Clashes between Serb hardliners and NATO-led peacekeepers have led to injuries on both sides. Last year, Serb nationalists set up barricades to prevent the Kosovo authorities from taking over border checkpoints. The roadblocks were dismantled following a deal on joint Kosovo and Serb manning of the crossings.
A year later, Serb and Kosovo border officials are stationed at the boundary, but there is no sign to mark that the visitors are entering the territory of Kosovo.
"We will not accept any integration into Kosovo," Milan Ivanovic, a hardline Serb leader from northern Kosovo told The Associated Press.
He said that if Serbian government officials agree in Brussels on Tuesday to lift their hold over northern Kosovo, four Serb municipalities in the region ? including Mitrovica ? will form a self-styled association and declare that they will remain within Serbia.
Some 10,000 people died in Kosovo before 78 days of NATO bombing in 1999 forced the Serbian army and police to pull out. Tens of thousands of Serbs then fled or were driven out. Some who stayed behind gathered in the northern parts bordering Serbia.
Serbia has insisted on a high level of self-rule for the Kosovo Serbs, including their own police and judicial authorities. But this has been rejected by Kosovo Albanians as a de-facto partition of Kosovo, which enjoys the backing of the United States and most European Union countries.
"What Pristina wants, and that is independence, will never be possible without Serbia," said Nikolic, the Serbian president. "There will never again be a military solution for the problems in the Balkans."
Kosovo government officials say they will not budge.
Prime Minister Hashim Thaci made a rare appearance in the Mitrovica area over the weekend, visiting the home of Ali Kadrija, an ethnic Albanian who rebuilt his house, which lies along the route leading into the Serb-held part of the city.
On Monday, Thaci urged Serbia to accept a deal that will give Serbs in Kosovo's north more rights, but falls short of giving them autonomy.
"I hope that Belgrade will reflect upon and accept this agreement and then work together with the international community to normalize relations," he said.
Many ethnic Albanians that lived in the northern part have now sold their properties and moved altogether from the troubled town. Some, however, insist they will stay on despite pressure from Serbs to move south with the rest of Kosovo's Albanians.
"I will never leave this place," Kadrija said.
Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who is the chief Serbian negotiator, recently demanded more concessions from the Albanians, saying they could regain the Serb-controlled northern Kosovo only by force.
Over the weekend, several thousand Albanian demonstrators gathered in the southern part of Mitrovica demanding that the town be reintegrated fully and without delay.
____
Nebi Qena from Pristina and Zvezdan Djukanovic from Mitrovica contributed.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kosovo-serbs-anxious-over-brussels-talks-134923663.html
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Link between blood clotting, immune response uncovered
Apr. 1, 2013 ? Rice University researchers have found an unexpected link between a protein that triggers the formation of blood clots and other proteins that are essential for the body's immune system. The find could lead to new treatments for thousands of patients who suffer from inflammatory diseases and disorders that cause abnormal blood clotting.
The research is available online in the journal PLOS ONE.
"This link opens the door for studying severe, debilitating inflammatory disorders where the disease mechanism is still poorly understood, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, regional ileitis and ulcerative colitis, as well as age-related macular degeneration," said study co-author Dr. Joel Moake, a hematologist and senior research scientist in bioengineering at Rice. "There's clinical evidence that clotting and inflammation are somehow linked in many patients, even in the absence of an infection. This linkage could help explain some of the clinical cases that have long baffled physicians."
The link is biochemical. Nancy Turner, a research technician in Moake's lab, established the link after conducting hundreds of experiments on more than a dozen proteins, including key molecules involved with both clotting and the body's innate immune response.
"In addition to the clinical evidence, there's also a logical basis for this connection," Moake said. "Clotting is a type of wound response, and wounds are magnets for infection, so there could be a selective advantage in triggering both responses at the same time."
But the link could also have a downside. For example, if a person has a genetic mutation or acquired disorder that causes their blood to clot more often or more extensively than normal, the overactive clotting could lead to the kind of inflammation that would typically be caused by an infection. Furthermore, initiation of the clotting process may initiate clinical relapses in patients susceptible to various types of severe inflammatory disease.
In fact, the symptoms in the above scenarios are not uncommon. For example, in prior research, Moake's lab conducted pioneering research on two disorders: thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), which causes clots to form in small blood vessels throughout the body; and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes abnormal blood clots in the kidneys. Both HUS and TTP come in two varieties -- one that is triggered by infection or inappropriate antibody formation, and another that is hereditary. Moake said the newfound link between clot formation and the immune response could help improve the diagnosis and treatment for TTP, HUS and other puzzling blood disorders with similar symptoms.
The experiments Turner used to establish the link between clotting and the body's immune response involved a key clotting protein called von Willebrand factor (VWF) and about a dozen other proteins that are components of the "complement system." The complement system, a part of the body's innate immune system, is one of biology's most ancient forms of defense against invading pathogens.
The complement system consists of a series of proteins that are produced by a variety of cell types. These proteins circulate continuously in the bloodstream and react sequentially upon activation. When triggered, the complement component proteins join together to form a biological weapon called the "membrane attack complex" (MAC), which kills both invading bacteria and the body's own cells if they become infected or damaged.
Turner and Moake first thought of looking for the link more than two years ago after they collaborated with physicians at Texas Children's Hospital on several puzzling clinical cases. Turner designed and conducted a series of experiments to examine whether any of the proteins in the complement complex were likely to bind onto long strands of VWF. Each complement protein was detected with a specific antibody and a fluorescent tag that could be viewed with a specialized microscope.
She found that C3, an important complement pathway initiator protein, was produced by cells in such low concentration that it was almost impossible to see -- even with a fluorescent microscope. But that changed when she looked at experimental samples that contained both C3 and VWF.
"The signals were so clear," Turner recalled. "The VWF had so much C3 on it that it looked like a Christmas tree."
Moake said he and Turner are conducting follow-up research to measure more effectively the activation of C3 on VWF. They are also measuring whether the C3 activation stimulates the sequential cascade of reactions that leads to MAC formation. In particular, they are interested in studying how the connection might lead to autoimmune diseases by causing MAC to target the body's own healthy cells rather than sick or damaged cells.
"We'd like to know what happens on a cell's surface that ordinarily enables it to protect itself against MAC," Moake said. "We'd also like to know what can go wrong with cells in terms of sickness or trauma that might make them more susceptible to being attacked and killed by overactivation of the complement sequence during clotting."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rice University. The original article was written by Jade Boyd.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Nancy A. Turner, Joel Moake. Assembly and Activation of Alternative Complement Components on Endothelial Cell-Anchored Ultra-Large Von Willebrand Factor Links Complement and Hemostasis-Thrombosis. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (3): e59372 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059372
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/__qUzxsvsvA/130401111547.htm
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Extreme algal blooms: The new normal?
Apr. 1, 2013 ? A research team, led by Carnegie's Anna Michalak, has determined that the 2011 record-breaking algal bloom in Lake Erie was triggered by long-term agricultural practices coupled with extreme precipitation, followed by weak lake circulation and warm temperatures. The team also predicts that, unless agricultural policies change, the lake will continue to experience extreme blooms.
The research is published in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of April 1, 2013.
"The perfect storm of weather events and agricultural practices that occurred in 2011 is unfortunately consistent with ongoing trends, which means that more huge algal blooms can be expected in the future unless a scientifically guided management plan is implemented for the region," remarked Michalak.
Fresh water algal blooms can result when excessive amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen are added to the water, typically as runoff from fertilized agriculture. These excess nutrients encourage unusual growth of algae and aquatic plants. When the plants and algae die, the decomposers that feed on them use up oxygen, which can drop to levels too low for aquatic life to thrive. In the beginning, the Lake Erie algae were almost entirely Microcytsis, an organism that produces a liver toxin and can cause skin irritation.
The scientists combined sampling and satellite-based observations of the lake with computer simulations. The bloom began in the western region in mid-July and covered an area of 230 square miles (600 km2). At its peak in October, the bloom had expanded to over 1930 square miles (5000 km2). Its peak intensity was over 3 times greater than any other bloom on record.
The researchers looked at numerous factors that could have contributed to the bloom including land use, agricultural practices, runoff, wind, temperature, precipitation, and circulation.
The use of three agricultural nutrient management practices in the area can lead to increased nutrient runoff: autumn fertilization, broadcast fertilization, and reduced tillage. These practices have increased in the region over the last decade.
Conditions in the fall of 2010 were ideal for harvesting and preparing the fields, increasing fertilizer application for the spring planting. A series of strong storms the following spring caused large amounts of phosphorus to run off into the lake. In May alone rainfall was over 6.5 inches (170 mm), a level more than 75% above the prior 20-year average for the month. This onslaught resulted in among the largest observed spring phosphorus loads since 1975, when intensive monitoring began.
Lake Erie was not unusually calm and warm before the bloom. But after the bloom began, warmer water and weaker currents encouraged a more productive bloom than in prior years. The longer period of weak circulation and warmer temperatures helped incubate the bloom and allowed the Microcytsis to remain near the top of the water column. That had the added effect of preventing the nutrients from being flushed out of the system.
The researchers' data did not support the idea that land-use and crop choices contributed to the increase in nutrient run-off that fueled the bloom.
To determine the likelihood of future mega-blooms, the scientists analyzed climate model simulations under both past and future climate conditions. They found that severe storms become more likely in the future, with a 50% increase in the frequency of precipitation events of.80 inch (20 mm) or more of rain. Stronger storms, with greater than 1.2 inch (30 mm) of rain, could be twice as frequent.
The authors believe that future calm conditions with weak lake circulation after bloom onset is also likely to continue since current trends show decreasing wind speeds across the U.S. This would result in longer lasting blooms and decreased mixing in the water column.
"Although future strong storms may be part of the new normal," remarked Michalak. "Better management practices could be implemented to provide some relief to the problem."
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Water Sustainability and Climate program under Grant No. 1039043, Extreme events impacts on water quality in the Great Lakes: Prediction and management of nutrient loading in a changing climate, see: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/nsfclimate. Additional support for some of the co-authors was provided by NSF grant 0927643, the NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research grant NA07OAR432000, and Lake Erie Protection Fund #SG 406-2011.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Carnegie Institution.
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Journal Reference:
- Anna M. Michalak, Eric J. Anderson, Dmitry Beletsky, Steven Boland, Nathan S. Bosch, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Justin D. Chaffin, Kyunghwa Cho, Rem Confesor, Irem Dalo?lu, Joseph V. DePinto, Mary Anne Evans, Gary L. Fahnenstiel, Lingli He, Jeff C. Ho, Liza Jenkins, Thomas H. Johengen, Kevin C. Kuo, Elizabeth LaPorte, Xiaojian Liu, Michael R. McWilliams, Michael R. Moore, Derek J. Posselt, R. Peter Richards, Donald Scavia, Allison L. Steiner, Ed Verhamme, David M. Wright, and Melissa A. Zagorski. Record-setting algal bloom in Lake Erie caused by agricultural and meteorological trends consistent with expected future conditions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216006110
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/ijhxPzVOmDY/130401151026.htm
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How Do You Save For The Future and Pay Down Debt at the Same Time?
We got to thinking about this when we stumbled on this article at Girls Just Wanna Have Funds, which discusses the difference between an emergency fund and a savings account, and which purchases would go to which. They suggest that emergency funds are for just that?unforseen expenses, but savings should be for specific goals. That's easy, but which do you pull from when you have a sudden tax bill, for example, or you want to pay down some lingering debt?
We've talked about how to save and pay debt at the same time, but we want to know what you think. Do you prefer to tackle debt first and then save? Do you save first? Or do you take the mathematical approach and save if the interest you can earn is higher than what you owe (or pay down debt if it's not)?
Photo by rangizzz.
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