Lifeboat Foundation

Scientists have labored for decades to understand how brain structure and functional connectivity drive intelligence. A new analysis offers the clearest picture yet of how various brain regions and neural networks contribute to a person’s problem-solving ability in a variety of contexts, a trait known as general intelligence, researchers report.

They detail their findings in the journal Human Brain Mapping.

The study used “connectome-based predictive modeling” to compare five theories about how the brain gives rise to intelligence, said Aron Barbey, a professor of psychology, bioengineering and neuroscience at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who led the new work with first author Evan Anderson, now a researcher for Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. working at the Air Force Research Laboratory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv9GqR8XJ08

Transplanting a patient’s own hematopoietic stem cells may defer the progression of disability longer in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) than treatment with other anti-inflammatory disease-modifying therapies (DMT), reports a study published in the journal Neurology “Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in People With Active Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis”.

“Hematopoietic stem cell transplants have been previously found to delay disability in people with relapsing-remitting MS, but less is known about whether such transplants could help delay disability during the more advanced stage of the disease,” said Matilde Inglese, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at the University of Genoa in Italy and senior author of the study. “Our results are encouraging because while current treatments for SPMS have modest or small benefits, our study found stem cell transplants may not only delay disability longer than many other MS medications, they may also provide a slight improvement in symptoms.”

Patients initially diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, where periods of active flare-up of symptoms alternate spans of remission, eventually develop SPMS where the disease worsens gradually but steadily. The exact mechanisms leading to increased neurodegeneration in SPMS are unclear, but evidence suggests a major role of innate and adaptive immune mechanisms that drive inflammation in the brain parenchyma, the leptomeninges, and the cerebrospinal fluid.

Amid a surge in Covid-19 infections in China, US billionaire Elon Musk’s automotive company Tesla has reportedly suspended production at its Shanghai plant. The US automaker cancelled the morning shift on Saturday without mentioning a reason.

#tesla #shanghai #china.

Continue reading “China: Tesla halts production at Shanghai plant; year-end closure comes as Covid cases rise | WION” »

About 20% of our water supply is lost to leaks and scientists say miniature ‘pipe robots’ could help.

Astronauts are at higher risk for developing mutations—possibly linked to spaceflight—that can increase the risk of developing cancer and heart disease during their lifetimes, according to a first-of-its kind study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Mount Sinai study could lead to ongoing health monitoring of astronauts to assess possible health risks and prevent disease progression.

The material is ultra tough, durable, and lightweight, and it may be the future of outdoor apparel if Patagonia and a California startup have their way.

JWST is the most powerful space telescope ever flown. Here’s how researched created the gigantic scope’s first products.

The Polar Vortex is starting to power up and will drive a weather pattern change in the coming days, creating warm conditions over the United States and Europe. But its power-up will be quickly followed by a disruption event. A strong stratospheric warming wave is forecast to emerge, putting a question mark on the weather patterns for the rest of the Winter season.

Weather and the stratospheric Polar Vortex are strongly connected, especially in Winter. So it matters greatly in what shape or form the Polar Vortex is as we go through the season.

We will look at the important role of the Polar Vortex during the Winter season and how it played into the recent cold outbreaks. But more importantly, we will look closely at the latest forecasts and why the Polar Vortex might be the deciding factor for the weather patterns for the rest of the Winter season.