Science – Page 18 – The Speaker News Journal

Engineering Team Builds Sail Twice as Effective, Twice as Powerful as the Sails You Are Familiar With: the Wind Wing

January 26, 2021September 17, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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The Greenbird Wind Wing was designed and built under two San Francisco-based entrepreneurs, and has been proposed as a means of cutting down on the over $1 million tax dollars San Francisco spends on its inefficient diesel-powered ferry system. The engineers behind the project have said that the project has demonstrated that it could save 30-40 percent of the ferry fuel bill.

The entrepreneurs, Jay Gardner, president of Wind Wing Technologies and British engineer, Photon Composits Inc. president and yacht sailor Richard Jenkins, have experience in sail engineering. In 2009, Greenbird set the America’s cup landsailing speed record for a wind-powered craft, and is currently pursuing the ice craft speed record.

The ferry system in San Francisco Bay is seldom used by commuters–primarily its is used when emergencies knock out the Bay bridge. The ferries are also very costly and inefficient.

Twenty-five government-subsidized ferries use over a million dollars worth of fuel per year–some of them use 300 gallons per hour of use–according to Jenkins. The diesel produces greenhouse gasses, and the Wind Wing has been proposed as a greener, cleaner, cheaper option.

“Traditional sails are basically one side of a wing,” said Gardner. “The benefit of the Wing is that you have two sides, and its a very precise shape.

Engineering Team Builds Sail Twice as Effective, Twice as Powerful as The Sails You Are Familiar With The Wind Wing (4) — Jay Gardner

“So an equal sized soft sail and a Wing–the Wing is going to be about twice as effective, twice as powerful.”

“The Wing is 45 feet tall,” said Jenkins. “Front to back is 10 feet. It weighs roughly 600 pounds [272 kilograms]. It’s a very light structure, so it will be insignificant to the weight of the ferry.

Engineering Team Builds Sail Twice as Effective, Twice as Powerful as The Sails You Are Familiar With The Wind Wing (5) — Richard Jenkins

“And it’s potentially very powerful. These ferries are travelling along at 30 or 40 knots sometimes, and it can produce six or seven tons of force at full speed, if required.

“The Wing also has, inside of it, a brain,” explained Gardner. “It has a GPS system. It has a satellite tracking system. It has a vessel data recording system. It knows where it is. It knows where you’re going. All we have to do is turn the Wing on and off.”

The engineers are not marketing the Wind Wing to sailors.

“The people who drive big ships are not sailors,” said Jenkins. “So, there’s kind of discontinuity between wind-power systems and the people on the boat, who are just not going to use those systems.

“What this Wing does is completely autonomous. The crew doesn’t need to know anything about the Wing or how it works. There’s literally an on-off system.

“We do that by having a feathering tail system. The tail on an airplane controls the pitch and the lift. We have a vertical tail that controls the wing and hence the power that the wing produces.

“If it can make power for the boat it will do. If it can’t, it just feathers and its kind of a benign thing on the ship.

“The ferries in the area, they use certainly over a million dollars worth of fuel per year. Twenty-five ferries. We’ve demonstrated that we can save 30 to 40 percent of the fuel costs.”

The designers spoke about the future of the Wing. The future depends on policy- and lawmakers to adopt to environmental demands.

“Are they going to insist that the technology is included in the next generation of ferries?” Jenkins asked.

The Greenbird Project is a partnership between Ecotricity and British engineer Richard Jenkins, to push the boundaries of wind technologies for zero carbon-emitted, wind-powered transportation.

Ebola Genome Sequencing Being Undertaken by Harvard Team to Discover Weaknesses in Virus Genome, Which Has Already Mutated Hundreds of Times

October 15, 2014September 1, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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The largest Ebola outbreak in history, which began in Guinea earlier this year before spreading to other West African nations, has become the subject of a gene sequencing study by a Harvard team already well-versed in similar viruses. The research has discovered that the current Ebola outbreak has already mutated hundreds of times and continues to mutate rapidly. Scientists will use the data from genome sequencing to find weaknesses in the virus, which can be attacked with drugs.

The Harvard team already is fluent and actively working on similar viruses in West Africa. The team had been working on Lassa Virus before taking on Ebola.

Ebola Genome Sequencing Being Undertaken by Harvard Team to Discover Weaknesses in Virus Genome (2) — Pardis Sabeti

Pardis Sabeti, a computer geneticist at Harvard University, said that the team’s experience with Lassa Virus was helpful in understanding Ebola because of the similar symptoms of the two viruses, particularly hemorrhagic fever.

“If you look at the three published Guinean strains,” commented Sabeti, “these are all linked. These all appear to be one chain of events.

“It seems that there is one entry into Sierra Leone, that spread throughout.

“We see hundreds of mutations–over 300 mutations–that separate this virus from past viruses. We see 55 mutations that have just happened within the course of this outbreak event. And we also see hundreds of mutations that are happening within individuals–things that one day may become common in the population and fixed between individuals.

“Many of those are functional, so we’re going to be paying attention to those.

“The understanding of the pathogenesis,” said Christian Happi, Director of the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infections Disease in Nigeria, referring to the development of drugs or vaccines, “that actually provides crucial information for going on to develop whatever tools.”

Drugs and vaccines are built on protein sequences, which are build on the genome sequence. Scientists will be able to use the research data to see how genome sequences are changing and identify which parts of the Ebola virus will be vulnerable and which parts will disappear from the strain.

“The type of genome sequencing we do informs whether or not the drugs, the vaccines, the diagnostics that we are using are going to be viable as the virus continues to mutate and change,” said Sabeti.

The Harvard team has already been active in West Africa during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. They set up diagnosis and surveillance on the ground.

By James Haleavy

World’s Unofficial Tallest Man Dies After Life as Recluse

October 15, 2014August 25, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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The world’s tallest man, who had grown to 2.60 meters (8.5 feet) by age 44, has died from complications associated with the condition that was the cause of his ceaseless growth.

Leonid Stadnyk had withdrawn from public attention after being briefly named by the Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest man in 2007. Stadnyk refused to be measured by the records organization, and the title was returned to Bao Xishun of China, who stood at 2.36 meters (7 ft 9 in)

Stadnyk lived at his mother’s house in a village in northern Ukraine. Stadnyk said that his height did him more harm than good.

During the latter part of his life, Stadnyk’s condition had caused him to quit his employment as a veterinarian and even made it difficult to walk.

Stadnyk occupied himself with gardening and tending livestock at home. He held onto the limbs of trees and the side of his house to walk about.

Stadnyk’s condition began after a brain surgery operation performed on him at age 14. Stadnyk developed a pituitary gland tumor, which caused the production of large amounts of growth hormone–a condition known as acromegalic gigantism. However, twenty years after the operation, the tumor was found to have mysteriously disappeared.

Stadnyk died of a cerebral hemorrhage Sunday, according to his mother.

By James Haleavy

World’s Highest Res Satellite Images Now Available Commercially, With Infrared and CAVIS Technology

October 15, 2014August 19, 2014 by Sid Douglas

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The world’s most advanced commercial high-resolution satellite is now operational. DigitalView’s WorldView-3–the company’s sixth super-spectral, hi-res satellite–was launched this week, and offers photo resolution at five times the clarity of its nearest competitor. The satellite also provides infrared and CAVIS, and can photograph through smoke, fog and haze and correct for cloud, aerosol, water vapor, ice and snow.

The satellite was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California last week, and is being offered for a number of commercial enterprises.

Natural disasters have already been photographed by DigitalGlobe’s satellite, such as New Jersey’s beaches during Hurricane Sandy, wildfires at High West Park, Colorado, the flood at Bangkok International Airport, and so have man-made events, such as the Gulf of Mexico spill, the Costa Concordia’s capsizing and Syrian pipeline fires.

World's Highest Res Commercial Satellite Now in Business, With Infrared and CAVIS Technology (9) — Subi reef, China construction

Serving political needs, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier, Cairo’s Tahrir Square, North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear research center, Osama bin Laden’s compound and the Obama inauguration in Washington, DC have been documented in hi-res photographs.

Militarily, Australia’s Exmouth Naval Communications Station, the Pentagon, Pearl Harbor and Pyongyang’s military parades have been photographed, and culturally, Peru’s Machu Pichu, Egypt’s and Sudan’s pyramids, and the Colosseum have been captured.

World's Highest Res Commercial Satellite Now in Business, With Infrared and CAVIS Technology (3) — Chinese carrier Varyag

Jeffrey Tarr, DigitalGlobe’s Chief Executive Officer announced the inauguration of the new satellite, “The successful launch of WorldView-3 extends DigitalGlobe’s commanding technological lead and will enable us to help our customers see through smoke, peer beneath the ocean’s surface and determine the mineral and moisture content of the earth below — all with unprecedented clarity.”

World's Highest Res Commercial Satellite Now in Business, With Infrared and CAVIS Technology (6) — Burning Man, Nevada

WorldView-3 is capable of 0.31 meter resolution super-spectral imagery–clarity five times that of DigitalGlobe’s nearest competitor. It also offers multiple shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands to photograph the earth through haze, fog, smoke and other airborn particles.

World's Highest Res Commercial Satellite Now in Business, With Infrared and CAVIS Technology (7) — Mt. Fuji, Japan

Another feature individual to WorldView-3 is CAVIS, an instrument that corrects atmospheric distortions due to cloud, aerosol, water vapor, ice and snow.

World's Highest Res Commercial Satellite Now in Business, With Infrared and CAVIS Technology (8) — Three Gorges Dam, China

“The unmatched abilities that WorldView-3 brings to our constellation will enable us to provide our customers with information and insight never before possible and advance our efforts to create a living digital inventory of the earth,” said Tarr.

By Sid Douglas

Birth, Life and Death of Recently Discovered Microscopic Habitats Described by Research Biochemist

August 16, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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Microscopic habitats, hosting communities of microorganisms formed over geologic time periods, self-sufficient but not self-sustained, have been discovered within droplets of water in the oil of Trinidad’s Pitch Lake, the world’s largest natural asphalt deposit. Researcher Dr Tillmann Lueders explained to The Speaker about the births, lives and possible deaths of these tiny worlds.

The report, “Water droplets in oil are microhabitats for microbial life,” was completed by lead researcher Rainer U. Meckenstock and his team of Frederick von Netzer, Christine Stumpp, Tillmann Lueders, Anne M. Himmelberg, Norbert Hertkorn, Philipp Schmitt-Kopplin, Mourad Harir, Riad Hosein, Shirin Haque, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, and was published in Science.

Birth, Life and Death of Recently Discovered Microscopic Habitats Described by Research Biochemist (17) — Dr Leuders, a co-author of the report

So far, no photographic images of these newly discovered microhabitats have been possible–the process by which the droplets would be photographed would also destroy them–but Dr Lueders gave The Speaker details about the nature of the microhabitats–how they are formed, how they sustain themselves, and how they may end.

“We envisage them as 1-3 microliter aqueous microspheres, with some microbes swimming around in the lumen, but most sitting attached to the oil-water interface,” Lueders told us.

Describing the origin of the microhabitats, Lueders explained, “The salinity and water isotopes measured in the droplet water tell us that it stems from the deep subsurface. Minimally, these habitats were formed by mixing processes during the ascent of the oil from the reservoir to pitch lake. Maximally, the droplets were present already in the reservoir itself.

“The time periods involved here are geologic. The reservoir seems to have been formed during the Miocene, but we are not experts to tell over what time scales the oil ascents.”

When asked about the ability of the microhabitats to maintain themselves over time, Leuders commented, “In principle, these micro-habitats should be self-sufficient over very long time scales, albeit at very low activities. However, they are not self-sustained, as would be the case for a perpetuum mobile system.”

The microbes feed on hydrocarbons and perform metabolism by methanogenesis–they breathe methane instead of oxygen. Only Archaea–a domain phylogenetically distinct from eukaryotes and bacteria–perform this type of respiration, which is the final step in the decomposition of biomass in most environments.

“Our grasp is that the microbes thrive on the hydrocarbons, which are their source of carbon and energy. These are too abundant to ever be depleted. Since there is nothing else to respire, methanogenesis becomes the terminal respiratory process, producing methane from the oil.”

The end of a microhabitat may come about through a sudden explosion, in a process called ebullition. In ebullition, methane bubbles build up, forming ever-larger pockets that eventually burst due to pressure, dispersing the methane throughout the soil. Lueders explained, however, that ebullition may not be the real end of microhabitats:

“Methane ebullition could eventually destroy–or disperse–a single droplet habitat, but also cause recycling and formation of larger water droplet habitats. Thus the age of any single water droplet may be impossible to determine, we see this more as a steady-state continuum.”

More details about the nature of the microhabitats will be addressed in the research team’s future work, Lueders told us. Also, the formidable task of developing elaborate non-invasive or conservative methods of looking into the microhabitats will be explored, meaning photographic images may also become possible.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

New Invention Can Make Clean Water Using Wood, Plastic and Water: the Water Lens

October 15, 2014August 15, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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With a wood frame, some plastic and water, 99 percent of bacteria can be eliminated from unclean water, using a structure created by University of Buffalo, New York student Deshawn Henry. The project has the potential to provide clean water to developing nations around the world, where millions currently have no access to clean water for drinking and washing.

“In the best hopes,” Henry told The Speaker, “the water lens could possibly become a savior for hundreds of thousands of people in many developing countries in the world, such as in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Not only would this development save hundreds of thousands of lives, but it will also give those people a better state of mind, knowing that they can drink the water without fear of contracting most types of water-borne diseases.”

Henry studies at the University of Buffalo‘s Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering in New York.

The water lens is a six-foot tall structure. At the top of a simple wood frame, a plastic sheet is covered with water, creating the “water lens.” Below the water lens a small container of water is positioned in line with the beam of light focused by the lens.

The water lens can heat a litre of water to between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit in just over an hour. At this temperature, 99 percent of bacteria and other pathogens are killed.

The structure needs only sunlight to work, although due to the sun’s movement the lens needs to be shifted throughout the day.

When we asked Henry about the potential of the water lens to help those in need of clean water, he spoke of the potential benefits not only for less fortunate regions, but also of shared benefits.

“I feel that this development does indeed tie America and other nations closer together. I think it’s a very positive thing because it allows us to help others in need who aren’t as fortunate as we are here in the great USA.

“Sharing this type of technology with countries who need this type of phenomenal development is key to strengthening our relationships with the other countries of the world. Everyone on this Earth deserves to able to live their lives with access to good, clean water, and that is just what I hope this project will eventually accomplish.”

Unclean water is a global problem. Over one billion people lack access to clean water. Approximately 3.4 million people die annually from water-related diseases–1,400 children under age five daily.

“Millions of people die every year from diseases and pathogens found in unclean water, and they can’t help it because that’s all they have. Either they drink it or they die,” said Henry.

The World Health Organization suggests at least 7.5 litres of water per day to meet minimum human requirements. Additional water is required for basic hygiene and basic food hygiene, and laundry and bathing require additional water as well.

The lens does have some limitations. Some water-borne bacteria are temperature resistant. However, many serious bacteria and other pathogens commonly found in water can be eliminated through boiling, such as E.coli, Vibrio cholera, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhii, enteritidis, and paratyphi, and Rotavirus.

The next phase of Henry’s project is to construct a larger version of the current water lens. A lens at least three times the size of the current model would have to be constructed to boil water for a family of five.

“Our next step in the research is to create a bigger lens that can heat more liters of water in the same amount of time it took to heat one liter of water… I wish to continue my research on this project with my mentor hopefully next summer.

“In places like Africa, where there is a lot more sunlight there than here in the US, the previous lens could clean at least 5 liters of water per day on a sunny day. If we can successfully construct a bigger lens that is as efficient as the previous one, we could potentially double or even triple the amount of water treated per day, given that there is good weather when the solar disinfection is taking place.”

By James Haleavy

Changes in Heart Medication Guidelines – Mayo Clinic

October 15, 2014August 14, 2014 by Heidi Woolf

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A Mayo Clinic task force has put together an updated set of recommendations for cholesterol treatment. The last guideline update took place in 2001, and several changes have been recommended, including a recommendation that not all patients currently prescribed statins and other cholesterol-lowering medications should take them. The task force also had new recommendations for people with rheumatoid arthritis or AIDS, and those who had received certain organ transplants.

This means that people with cholesterol issues or concerns will need to consult their doctors again soon to reassess their treatment and prevention options. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, MD, task force chairman and director of preventive cardiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota Benefit told The Speaker that people should see their doctors “basically to discuss the expected benefit and risks.”

“The benefit should be described in terms of absolute benefit,” Lopez-Jimenez told us. “How many people like me would not have a heart attack after 10 years taking the medicine? And not taking the medicine?”

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) guideline needed to be updated, stated Lopez-Jimenez. The last update took place 12 years ago. The recommendations were published as “ACC/AHA Prevention Guideline
2013; ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults” on Circulation Journals.

“We agree with many points of the [existing] guideline, but there are some key areas where we do not completely agree or we wanted to expand and provide more guidance,” said Lopez-Jimenez.

Several changes have been recommended.

While the current ACC/AHA cholesterol treatment guideline recommends high doses of the strongest statins to most men over the age of 65, the Mayo task force found no evidence to recommend this based solely on age.

Rather than medication combined with healthy lifestyle habits to prevent cardiovascular disease, the task force recommended lifestyle changes–exercise and diet–followed by an evaluation before prescribing statins.

Diabetics over the age of 40 have been recommended to take statins, but the task force concluded that not all diabetics have the same risk of heart attacks, and recommended against statins in some diabetics over 40: those in whom there is a low risk of heart attack or stroke based on the ACC/AHA calculator.

Rather than making cholesterol medications based on generalities such as age, diabetes and prevention, the task force recommended a treatment approach based on individual needs, and also recommended shared decision-making in treatment.

“The patients need to be involved in the decision making, understanding the anticipated benefit and the potential risks with numbers,” Lopez-Jimenez told us.

The task force added some patients to the list of those for whom statins were recommended. Rheumatoid arthritis, kidney and heart transplant recipients, and AIDS sufferers were among the new inclusions.

The recommendations was scheduled to be published in the August 14 edition of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, along with an editorial.

Mayo Clinic Task Force Challenges Some Recommendations in Updated Cholesterol Treatment Guideline

By Heidi Woolf

Breastfeeding the Best Thing a Mother Can Do – UN

August 2, 2014August 2, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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“The best thing a mother can do for her newborn is breastfeed,” said the UN Friday, “which does more than help children survive–it helps them to thrive with benefits that last a lifetime.” The executive director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Anthony Lake, made the statement, urging promotion of breastfeeding everywhere.

“Immediate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth could prevent one in five unnecessary deaths,” said Lake, kicking off World Breastfeeding Week. “That’s more than 500,000 children every year. More than 1,500 children every day.”

Fewer than half the world’s newborns benefit from breastfeeding, said the UN. Even fewer are exclusively breastfed for the first six months.

“Breastfeeding is the foundation of good nutrition,” said Lake, “reducing the risk of malnourishment in early childhood and the risk of obesity later in life. By supporting nutrition and strengthening the bond between mother and child, breastfeeding also supports healthy brain development.”

World Breastfeeding Week takes place between August 1 and 7. This year the celebration will highlight the link between breastfeeding and Millennium Development Goals, particularly decreasing child mortality.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

“When Well-Managed, an Ebola Outbreak Can Be Stopped” – UN with Affected Nations Launch Joint $100 Million Response Plan

August 1, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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With the intention of marking “a turning point” in the intensifying Ebola outbreak plaguing three West African nations, the WHO met with the presidents of all the affected nations Friday to launch a joint $100 million response plan.

Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) met the leaders of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire in the Guinean capital.

“When well-managed, an Ebola outbreak can be stopped,” said Chan, referencing four decades of experience dealing with Ebola in Africa. “Ebola outbreaks can be contained. Chains of transmission can be broken. Together, we must do so.”

Chan called for an accurate and detailed mapping of the outbreak and an increase in information distribution about the facts of Ebola. Chan also called for an increase in aid workers. The WHO plan also stresses surveillance, particularly in border areas

Among the most serious problems associated with the African outbreak is that the region suffers from a lack of health education. To this point, the UN chief said that Ebola was a social problem, not a medical or public health problem.

“West Africa is facing its first outbreak of Ebola virus disease,” remarked Chan. “This is an unprecedented outbreak accompanied by unprecedented challenges. And these challenges are extraordinary.”

“West Africa’s outbreak is caused by the most lethal strain in the family of Ebola viruses. The outbreak is by far the largest ever in the nearly four-decade history of this disease. It is the largest in terms of geographical areas already affected and others at immediate risk of further spread.

“The current outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it,” said Chan. “If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives, but also severe socio-economic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries.”

The Ebola virus rapidly spreading in West Africa has infected 1,323 people, according to the WHO, among whom 729 have died. Of those 729, 60 have been health care workers.

The UN will meet August 6-7 to discuss whether the outbreak constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern.”

By Day Blakely Donaldson

Coke, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper Snapper Reported Second Quarter Sales and Profits Showing Consumers Prefer Stevia and Sugar over Aspartame, the Artificial Sweetener in Most Diet Varieties–But Scientists Are Still Debating About Sugar

October 15, 2014July 30, 2014 by Tina Zhang

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Last week, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Dr. Pepper Snapper all revealed their second quarter earnings report. Coca-Cola’s soda sales were flat in North America and its revenue fell 1.4 percent, despite a sales volume increase in other parts of the world. PepsiCo suffered a two percent fall in both profit and soda sales volume. Dr. Pepper Snapper reported an increase of over one percent of revenue and its soda sales volume climbed two percent. These numbers reflected consumers’ attitudes on different types of sweeteners.

For the decline in profits, Coke and Pepsi both blamed the weak market for diet soda. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda were supposed to win over consumers who are concerned over the negative impact of high sugar intake. But the safety and quality of artificial sweeteners became a stronger concern, causing a continuous and accelerated fall in diet soda sales. As the new report revealed, the sales volume for regular Coke actually rose one percent in North America, while Diet Coke sales dropped further.

Aspartame is the artificial sweetener used in most diet sodas for Coke, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper brands. It has very little nutrient value, and thus is nonfattening. And it is much sweeter than sugar gram for gram, which is interesting because the two amino acids used in forming this substance do not taste sweet. Individuals with phenylketonuria, a genetically transmitted disease, are unable to break down one of the two amino acids in aspartame and thus must avoid it. Explicit warnings are placed on such products.

FDA considers aspartame to be safe for the vast majority of consumers, and approved the sweetener in 1981. Although a few cases of adverse side effects have been attributed to aspartame, exhaustive reviews have failed to show an unequivocal and direct connection between the symptoms and the sweetener. Coke ran a national print ad, “The safety of aspartame is supported by more than 200 studies over the last 40 years,” in the summer 2013. The continuous declining in diet soda sales shows it is an uphill battle to assure consumers of the safety of this artificial “chemical.”

Dr. Pepper Snapper’s soda sales volume increase was largely due to the brands Canada Dry, Peñafiel (in Mexico) and Schweppes. The latter two offer carbonated water in addition to sugary drinks. All three brands do not have artificial sweeteners, but use sugar or high fructose corn syrup instead.

For low and mid calorie soda, all three companies are working hard. Dr. Pepper Snapper introduced ten lineups in 2011 which use only small quantities of high-fructose corn syrup, and from March this year started to test soda that has 60 calories per can with only the natural sweetener stevia and sugar. Coke and Pepsi both failed before with non-natural sweeteners— “C2” from Coke in 2011 and “Pepsi Edge” from Pepsi in 2005. Coke released “Coca-Cola Life,” which contained stevia in Argentina and Chile last year, and will market it in UK this autumn. Pepsi Next does not use aspartame and has 30 percent less sugar than regular Pepsi.

Stevia is rising start as a natural sweetener. This non-caloric sweetener is found in the leaves of Stevia rebaudian (one species in the genus Stevia in the sunflower family). Native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America, local populations have used these sweet leaves for centuries. It has a slower onset and longer duration in comparison to sugar. With negligible effects on blood glucose, it is attractive to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets. Stevia causes a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations and therefore is often used together with sugar.

Sugar seems to be the devil people know. But how much is really known? It became a part of the human diet after the domestication of the sugarcane in 8,000 BC. “Sugars” include honey, sucrose (table sugar), high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate and agave nectar. There is a direct relation between intake of dietary sugars and the dental caries (decay and crumbling of a tooth or bone) across the life span.

Other than these, not much can be agreed on regarding the role of sugar and its recommended intake. The linkage between high sugar intake and obesity and other health complications is inconclusive, according to the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the world’s largest food science organization. At IFT’s annual meeting in New Orleans at the end of June, a discussion panel stated that government and health organizations’ recommendations for sugar intake have varied significantly based on different studies and different methodologies to evaluate those studies.

While sugar intakes in the US have decreased over the past 10-15 years, obesity has continued to increase. The North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC, has undertaken a project to better understand the interplay between sugar in the diet and health outcomes and to identify research gaps.

Some of the questions ILSI plans to address with respect to sugar and health are: What is the long-term effect of a reduction in sugar intake on body weight and/or fatness in overweight/obese adults and in children? Do dietary sugars impact how the body accumulates fat differently than other energy-yielding nutrients? What is the effect of sugar intake on satiety and hunger mechanisms? What are the mechanisms in the brain linking sugar consumption to a reward system/insulin and glycemic levels (“addictive behavior” or “sugar addiction”)?

These answers will aid the emergence of an evidence-based and more meaningful sugar intake recommendation. Still beverages–non-carbonated drinks such as energy drinks, fruit juice and flavored water–have seen a quick rise in market shares since they are deemed healthier than the carbonated sugar bombs. But it is not unusual for natural fruit juice, with no sugar added, to have as much sugar and calories as traditional Coke at the same volume. A deeper and more comprehensive understanding of sugar will help a concerned and confused public, and impact the future of all sugary drink industries.

By Tina Zhang

Sources:

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Science Daily

Some Lies More Destructive Than Others – Study Simulates Various Kinds of Lies and Their Effect on Social Cohesion

October 17, 2014July 29, 2014 by The Speaker Editors

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Scientists at Aalto University School of Science in Finland have conducted a study in which they found that some lies may be more destructive to society than others, and that some types of lies may be essential to the growth of cohesive social networks.

“There is no society without lies,” stated lead researcher Rafael Barrio, a theoretical physicist at Aalto University.

The report, “Effects of deception in social networks,” was completed by Gerardo Iñiguez, Tzipe Govezensky, Robin Dunbar, Kimmo Kaski and Rafael A. Barrio at Finland’s Aalto University School of Science, and was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society.

In their research, the Aalto University team differentiated between selfish lies–protecting oneself at the expense of others or lying to purposefully hurt others–and “white lies,” such as encouraging a child’s early attempts at performing music, which are generally socially acceptable. The researchers called these two types of lies antisocial and prosocial lies.

Robin Dunbar, one of the researchers on the team, told The Speaker, “The model is based on the impact that lies have: selfish lies are those where the individual gains a benefit at the expense of the recipient, whereas prosocial lies (fibs) are those where the recipient (or at least the relationship between the liar and the recipient) benefits. Prosocial lies are of the kind we do when we “Like” someone’s Facebook page post even when we don’t in fact like it at all, but feel we ought to.”

The team created a virtual scenario where 200 virtual individuals with various fixed opinions engaged in 200,000 interactions. By adjusting the honesty level of individuals, as well as the types of lies told, the researchers observed differing social developments.

There researchers found differences based prosocial and antisocial lying. “Antisocial lying causes social networks to become increasingly fragmented,” the report stated. “Antisocial dishonesty thus places strong constraints on the size and cohesion of social communities, providing a major hurdle that organisms have to overcome (e.g. by evolving counter-deception strategies) in order to evolve large, socially cohesive communities.

“In contrast, white lies can prove to be beneficial in smoothing the flow of interactions and facilitating a larger, more integrated network.”

After running a number of scenarios, the researchers found that a perfectly honest society increased trust over time and resulted in a well-connected group.

The introduction of antisocial liars led to fragmentation of the network. Small, tightly connected groups of honest individuals formed. The small groups were weakly connected to other small groups by dishonest individuals. When all individuals engaged in antisocial lying the result was complete isolation.

When prosocial lies were factored in, however, the social fabric was not destroyed. Instead, two large communities formed. The communities were composed of like-minded honest agents, and were based on shared opinions. Between the two groups, mostly dishonest agents provided a weak connection.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that some kinds of lying could actually enhance cohesiveness in society.

“Our results demonstrate that these group-level effects can arise as emergent properties of interactions at the dyadic level,” the report read. “The balance between prosocial and antisocial lies may set constraints on the structure of social networks, and hence the shape of society as a whole.”

The researchers also found that when individuals were initially undecided as to their opinions, prosocial lies reduced indecisiveness.

By James Haleavy

Brazil Researchers Solve Bread Mold Problem–Bread Can Now Be Kept at Room Temperature for Two Weeks Without Growing Mold, and Using Natural, Chemical-Free Preservatives

October 17, 2014July 27, 2014 by Heidi Woolf

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Researchers in Brazil have found a way to preserve bread kept at room temperature for up to 15 days without growing mold, and they have done it using natural preservatives rather than chemicals.

Their report, “Edible Films from Methylcellulose and Nanoemulsions of Clove Bud (Syzygium aromaticum) and Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Essential Oils as Shelf Life Extenders for Sliced Bread,” was completed by Caio G. Otoni, Silvania F. O. Pontes, Eber A. A. Medeiros, and Nilda de F. F. Soares of the Laboratory of Food Packaging, Department of Food Technology, Federal University of Viçosa, in Brazil, and was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The University of Viscosa team found two ways of preserving bread, using plant-based essential oils and using natural preservatives.

Natural preservatives, such as oregano and clove–which have natural antimicrobial properties–were added to the packaging of bread to keep airborne microbes, fungi and yeast from developing into green mold on the surface of bread.

In another test, essential oils were mixed with water and a plant-based thickener and applied to the bread as an “edible film.” The bread was then placed inside a plastic bag for storage.

Both tests had similar results. Bread kept at room temperature could store bread mold free for over two weeks–rather than the usual few days.

This natural method is being proposed by the Brazilian team as an alternative to the chemicals that are usually added to fresh bread to preserve it from mold.

The team also suggested that the technique could be used on a larger scale, and are currently experimenting with using the edible films to fruits, mean products and dairy.

By Heidi Woolf