| News Briefs - July-August - Page 3 |
Seniors Need Normal Blood
Pressure Too
The notion that an increase in
blood pressure as people age is
acceptable is now being
challenged by new research. A
study of 3,845 people over the
age of 80 showed dramatic
decreases in strokes, heart failure
and deaths from a variety of other
causes when high blood pressure
was treated. Patients who enjoyed
a reduction in blood pressure to
150/80 or less had a 21%
reduction in deaths from all
causes including a 39% cut in
stroke deaths and 64% in heart
failures. The benefit was so
obvious that the trial was ended
early so that the placebo group
could be treated.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (4/1/08)
Study Shows Need for
Right Amount of Sleep
Not only two little sleep but too
much sleep isn’t good for you. A
new government study linked less
than six hours of sleep a night to
obesity, higher smoking rates,
less physical activity, and more
alcohol use. The study did not
prove cause-effect relationships
such as whether smoking causes
sleeplessness or if sleeplessness
prompts smoking. Nearly half of
those who slept nine hours or
more a night were also more likely
to be physically inactive in their
leisure time.—(Racine) Journal
Times (5/8/08)
Pressure Too
The notion that an increase in
blood pressure as people age is
acceptable is now being
challenged by new research. A
study of 3,845 people over the
age of 80 showed dramatic
decreases in strokes, heart failure
and deaths from a variety of other
causes when high blood pressure
was treated. Patients who enjoyed
a reduction in blood pressure to
150/80 or less had a 21%
reduction in deaths from all
causes including a 39% cut in
stroke deaths and 64% in heart
failures. The benefit was so
obvious that the trial was ended
early so that the placebo group
could be treated.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (4/1/08)
Study Shows Need for
Right Amount of Sleep
Not only two little sleep but too
much sleep isn’t good for you. A
new government study linked less
than six hours of sleep a night to
obesity, higher smoking rates,
less physical activity, and more
alcohol use. The study did not
prove cause-effect relationships
such as whether smoking causes
sleeplessness or if sleeplessness
prompts smoking. Nearly half of
those who slept nine hours or
more a night were also more likely
to be physically inactive in their
leisure time.—(Racine) Journal
Times (5/8/08)
Tiny Voltmeter Invented
The world’s smallest voltmeter,
capable of detecting electric fields
inside ordinary cells, has found
that the fields are strong enough
to cause a bolt of lightning. The
voltmeter’s inventor, a U. of
Michigan biophysical chemist,
used it on rat brain cells and
detected fields as strong as 15
million volts per meter. The
device, which uses a voltage-
sensitive dye, is so small that
thousands could fit inside a single
cell—Discover (March, 2008)
Drivers Begin Scooting
Upset about the high price of gas,
many motorists are turning to fuel-
stingy motor scooters and small
motorcycles. Dealers across the
nation report brisk sales,
especially of models getting 75-
120 miles per gallon. Scooters
imported from China can sell for
as little as $800 while top-of-the-
line bikes can cost as much as
$8,000.—www.cnn.com (5/15/08)
Polar Bears Now
Listed as Threatened
With scientists predicting that 2/3
of the world’s polar bears will
disappear in the next 50 years,
the animal will now be listed as
“threatened” under the
Endangered Species Act. There
are presently an estimated 20,000
to 25,000 polar bears in the
Arctic. The decision has caused
some controversy because this is
the first time a species has been
listed specifically because its
habitat is threatened by global
warming. The Secretary of the
Interior, however, has cautioned
that this decision should not be
used to regulate global climate
change.—www.cnn.com (5/14/08)
The world’s smallest voltmeter,
capable of detecting electric fields
inside ordinary cells, has found
that the fields are strong enough
to cause a bolt of lightning. The
voltmeter’s inventor, a U. of
Michigan biophysical chemist,
used it on rat brain cells and
detected fields as strong as 15
million volts per meter. The
device, which uses a voltage-
sensitive dye, is so small that
thousands could fit inside a single
cell—Discover (March, 2008)
Drivers Begin Scooting
Upset about the high price of gas,
many motorists are turning to fuel-
stingy motor scooters and small
motorcycles. Dealers across the
nation report brisk sales,
especially of models getting 75-
120 miles per gallon. Scooters
imported from China can sell for
as little as $800 while top-of-the-
line bikes can cost as much as
$8,000.—www.cnn.com (5/15/08)
Polar Bears Now
Listed as Threatened
With scientists predicting that 2/3
of the world’s polar bears will
disappear in the next 50 years,
the animal will now be listed as
“threatened” under the
Endangered Species Act. There
are presently an estimated 20,000
to 25,000 polar bears in the
Arctic. The decision has caused
some controversy because this is
the first time a species has been
listed specifically because its
habitat is threatened by global
warming. The Secretary of the
Interior, however, has cautioned
that this decision should not be
used to regulate global climate
change.—www.cnn.com (5/14/08)
Computer Virus Threat
Increases
The volume and complexity of
modern computer viruses has put
the anti-virus industry on the
defensive. About 5.5 million
malicious software programs were
unleashed on the Web last year,
according to a German company,
with anti-virus firms analyzing
between 15,000 and 20,000 new
viruses every day, more than 15
times as many as in 2005. Known
as malware, the dangerous
viruses are on the rise as
criminals intent on stealing
personal data are trying to
overwhelm security companies.—
washington post.com (3/19/08)
Soviet Union Lives On
The Soviet Union lives on—in
cyberspace that is. Sixteen years
after the “socialist utopia”
collapsed, more and more Web
sites ending with the Soviet “.su”
domain name are appearing.
Reasons for adopting “.su” vary—
nostalgia, business reasons,
politics. Some people object to the
use of the suffix since the Soviet
Union no longer exists. They
advocate using “.ru” for Russia.—
www.msnbc.msn.com (4/18/ 08)
New Shopping Cart
Adds Up Prices
A new Microsoft-powered device
attached to a shopping cart
automatically adds up the costs of
items in the cart. Developed by
Microsoft in association with
MediaCart and the owner of
ShopRite stores, the device also
delivers coupons, helps shoppers
find products, displays recipes
and nutritional information, and
even lets customers upload
shopping lists from a home
computer.—Smart Computing
(April, 2008)
Increases
The volume and complexity of
modern computer viruses has put
the anti-virus industry on the
defensive. About 5.5 million
malicious software programs were
unleashed on the Web last year,
according to a German company,
with anti-virus firms analyzing
between 15,000 and 20,000 new
viruses every day, more than 15
times as many as in 2005. Known
as malware, the dangerous
viruses are on the rise as
criminals intent on stealing
personal data are trying to
overwhelm security companies.—
washington post.com (3/19/08)
Soviet Union Lives On
The Soviet Union lives on—in
cyberspace that is. Sixteen years
after the “socialist utopia”
collapsed, more and more Web
sites ending with the Soviet “.su”
domain name are appearing.
Reasons for adopting “.su” vary—
nostalgia, business reasons,
politics. Some people object to the
use of the suffix since the Soviet
Union no longer exists. They
advocate using “.ru” for Russia.—
www.msnbc.msn.com (4/18/ 08)
New Shopping Cart
Adds Up Prices
A new Microsoft-powered device
attached to a shopping cart
automatically adds up the costs of
items in the cart. Developed by
Microsoft in association with
MediaCart and the owner of
ShopRite stores, the device also
delivers coupons, helps shoppers
find products, displays recipes
and nutritional information, and
even lets customers upload
shopping lists from a home
computer.—Smart Computing
(April, 2008)
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