December 2007 Archives

Those suffering narcolepsy, which includes extreme sleepiness, lack the brain hormone orexin A.  It stands to reason that administration of the drug may eliminate sleepiness.  In fact, Darpa-funded scientists have verified the effectiveness of the treatment:

Hypocretin-1 (orexin-A) was administered to sleep-deprived (30–36 h) rhesus monkeys immediately preceding testing on a multi-image delayed match-to-sample (DMS) short-term memory task. The DMS task used multiple delays and stimulus images and effectively measures cognitive defects produced by sleep deprivation (Porrino et al., 2005). Two methods of administration of orexin-A were tested, intravenous injections (2.5–10.0 µg/kg, i.v.) and a novel method developed for nasal delivery via an atomizer spray mist to the nostrils (dose estimated 1.0 µg/kg). Results showed that orexin-A delivered via the intravenous and nasal routes significantly improved performance in sleep-deprived monkeys; however, the nasal delivery method was significantly more effective than the highest dose (10 µg/kg) of intravenous orexin-A tested. The improvement in performance by orexin-A was specific to trials classified as high versus low cognitive load as determined by performance difficulty under normal testing conditions. Except for the maximum intravenous dose (10 µg/kg), neither delivery method affected task performance in alert non-sleep-deprived animals. The improved performance in sleep-deprived animals was accompanied by orexin-A related alterations in local cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRglc) in specific brain regions shown previously to be engaged by the task and impaired by sleep deprivation (Porrino et al., 2005). Consistent with the differential effects on performance, nasal delivered orexin-A produced a more pronounced reversal of sleep deprivation induced changes in brain metabolic activity (CMRglc) than intravenous orexin-A. These findings provide strong evidence for the effectiveness of intranasal orexin-A in alleviating cognitive deficits produced by loss of sleep.

Although the discovery's first application will probably be in treatment of the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy, it stands to replace stimulants and is likely to attain widespread use.

Purchasing a Nintendo WII over the past month at retail outlets was next to impossible for those unwilling to camp outside of stores or stalk UPS Deliver trucks.  With Christmas just two days away you may have considered this gift idea a closed book.  

However, yesterday I was able to buy one of the long sought after items for just slightly over its retail cost.

How?  Of course I'll tell you.  I used ebay.  Yes, there are a lot of scalpers charging anywhere from $350 to $600 for the $250 package.  However, it is possible to elude these and find the few sweet deals that others may have missed.  Here's how I did it:

1. I used eBay's "advanced search" and entered both my search terms "WII console" and my zip code in the "items near me".   I realized purchasing items so close to Christmas would necessitate picking it up (and save me shipping charges).
2. I put items on my "watch list" that ended during the next hour, selecting items with few or no bids and which ended within 10 minutes of one another.
3. From the "My eBay" page I used "Bid Assistant" on the items in my watch list and set the max bid amount to $290.  
4. Finally I waited and was delighted to win an auction totaling $255.  

Perhaps my experience is a fluke.  I was fortunate to deal with an honest seller who was easy to contact.   Further, to minimize my risk I obtained the seller's address and phone number prior to paying.  Personal contact seems to make a difference.  

The bottom line is that just two days before Christmas it is not impossible to purchase a WII for a reasonable price if you're willing to take the inherent risks associated with buying via an online auction.

Merry Christmas.

It would not shock me if there was an announcement next year that Google was going to put into beta an operating system on Linux, an open-source system, or something like it.

The statement is among eight predictions related to Google's Future endeavors.

Yes, Google is trying to change the rule .... from the NY Times:

The growing confrontation between Google and Microsoft promises to be an epic business battle. It is likely to shape the prosperity and progress of both companies, and also inform how consumers and corporations work, shop, communicate and go about their digital lives. Google sees all of this happening on remote servers in faraway data centers, accessible over the Web by an array of wired and wireless devices — a setup known as cloud computing. Microsoft sees a Web future as well, but one whose center of gravity remains firmly tethered to its desktop PC software. Therein lies the conflict.

Google introduced a package of online software offerings, called Google Apps, that includes e-mail, instant messaging, calendars, word processing and spreadsheets. They are simpler versions of the pricey programs that make up Microsoft’s lucrative Office business, and Google is offering them free to consumers.

Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) have uncovered for the first time signs of stress in proteins and other compounds found in blood that can help predict disease susceptibility. - more

In a study in cattle, the researchers found that psychological and physical stressors cause detectable changes in these blood compounds. These “biomarkers” can then be used to predict disease outcomes.

If you're reading this post it's probably because you tried and failed to purchase a $250 WII at BestBuy, Circuit City, Gamestop or Amazon.com.  You've discoverd that folks on ebay are charging over $400 and Craigslist is just as bad.  Success stories are written by those willing to stand in line at Best Buy on Sunday mornings or by those who followed the FedEx man from one Gamestop outlet to another.

Ever wanted to know what it's like to get laughed at for a whole day? Try finding a Wii this week.

If you're willing to pay in advance,  Nintendo is teaming up with GameStop to offer certificates that guarantee Wii deliveries before the end of January.  Yes, you'll have to pay the full amount in advance but perhaps a piece of paper in the stocking will placate a console under the tree?  Personally, I don't think so.

On the otherhand, you might be among the thousands who realize the trendy WII controller and re-hashed video games are not worth the wait and will spring $150 for a PlayStation III or an Xbox 360 .  You won't be alone.  Nintendo's production shortages are likely to cost the company an estimated $1.3 billion.

By the way, parents are fooling themselves if they hope Nintendo's Wii active games console, which uses a wireless handheld controller to replicate athletic movement, will stop their youngster becoming obese.

 

The New York Times reports the disturbing rate of imprisonment within the United States:

About one in every 31 adults in the United States was in prison, in jail or on supervised release at the end of last year, the Department of Justice reported yesterday.

An estimated 2.38 million people were incarcerated in state and federal facilities, an increase of 2.8 percent over 2005, while a record 5 million people were on parole or probation, an increase of 1.8 percent. Immigration detention facilities had the greatest growth rate last year. The number of people held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities grew 43 percent, to 14,482 from 10,104.

The rate of imprisonment among blacks is significantly higher than whites and the number of women in prison is at a record high.  The key statistic, the one that would help bring about change, are the underlying factors filling our prisons.  Have we become tougher on crime or is there an increase in criminality?

 

The field of Electronic System Level (ESL) continues to grow and build momentum, as the array of vendor offerings continues to grow in response to emerging industry standards and a widening variety of challenges.

With the establishment of the IEEE-1666 ESL Language Reference Manual (LRM), and the release of the TLM 2.0 (Transaction Level Modeling) Draft 2 by OSCI, the industry stands poised on the threshold of a new level of interoperability between vendor tools, third-party IP, and Customer’s needs.

The opportunities for application of ESL methodologies are many, ranging from architectural exploration to power estimation, software development, models and IP, early RTL verification, pre-silicon validation, higher-level synthesis, improved operability between abstraction levels, and more.

 

Some fear invasion of privacy, eugenics or simply a waste of time when discussing personal genetic testing.  Yet, it is clear that predisposition to disease and drug sensitivity - potentially revealed through GT - enable personalized healthcare.   The Coriell Institute for Medical Research is leading the way:

Volunteers will submit saliva samples, from which their DNA will be isolated to determine their personal genome profiles.

Participants will then be able to consult with their physician about their risk variants and to make important decisions about preventive care and proper medical treatments. All volunteers will control access to their genetic profiles and will determine whether they wish the information to become part of their medical records in the future.

The goal is 10,000 participants.  Sign me up!