The Reflexology Products Blog. : April 2019

Tuesday 30 April 2019

Dreams of ubiquitous social robots still aren't coming true

Hopes that the tech industry was on the cusp of rolling personal robots into homes are dimming now that several once-promising consumer robotics companies have shut down.

* This article was originally published here

US searches of phones, laptops at airports rising, suit says

U.S. government searches of travelers' cellphones and laptops at airports and border crossings nearly quadrupled since 2015 and are being conducted for reasons beyond customs and immigration enforcement, according to papers filed Tuesday in a federal lawsuit that claims going through electronic devices without a warrant is unconstitutional.

* This article was originally published here

New technique uses power anomalies to ID malware in embedded systems

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of Texas at Austin have developed a technique for detecting types of malware that use a system's architecture to thwart traditional security measures. The new detection approach works by tracking power fluctuations in embedded systems.

* This article was originally published here

Maternal comorbidity higher for women with congenital heart defects

(HealthDay)—Pregnant women with congenital heart defects (CHDs) are more likely to have comorbidities and experience adverse events during delivery, according to a study published in the May 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

* This article was originally published here

French cheese recalled in Germany over E.coli scare

Two types of French cheese have been recalled in Germany over fears they could be contaminated with E.coli, just a few days after a similar scare in France, the German food safety authority announced on Tuesday.

* This article was originally published here

New study identifies drug that can reverse hyperactivity induced by parasitic infection

When rodents get infected by Toxoplasma gondii, the single-celled brain parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, they become hyperactive risk-takers. In findings published this week in mBio, researchers show for the first time that it's possible to reverse that behavioral change. Surprisingly, the study also showed that the restoration of normal behavior resulted from reducing inflammation—and not from reducing the amount of parasites in the brain.

* This article was originally published here

What can be done to prevent another CRISPR crisis?

The public announcement last fall from China regarding gene editing on human embryos, conducted without the benefit of scientific review or ethical debate, was met with worldwide disdain. It also has raised global concerns that more rigorous standards must be established to guide further research efforts in germline gene therapy, according to a new article publishing on April 30 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by medical ethicist Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., founding director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine.

* This article was originally published here

UK car output to collapse on no-deal Brexit: industry

Britain's car output under a no-deal Brexit could collapse to a level last seen in "the dark days of the 1980s", the nation's industry body forecast on Tuesday.

* This article was originally published here

Alzheimer's in minibrains

In the majority of cases, dementia can be traced back to Alzheimer's disease. Its causes are not really understood yet. What is known is that plaques form from misfolded proteins and that there is an increase in neuronal cell death levels in the brain. However, the plaques don't necessarily go hand in hand with any symptoms. Dr. Thorsten Müller, Head of the research group Cell Signalling at the Chair of Molecular Biochemistry at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), suspects other deposits to cause the disease, namely ones that form in the nuclei. He intends to verify this hypothesis using tissue that resembles that of the brain. Rubin, the RUB's science magazine, published a report on his research.

* This article was originally published here

Ethane storage seen as key to revitalization of Appalachia

Plans are underway in Appalachia to create two underground facilities to store ethane, a byproduct of natural gas drilling seen as integral to revitalizing a region still struggling from the loss of industrial and manufacturing jobs decades ago.

* This article was originally published here

Keep pets away from gardens to prevent food-borne illness

Animal waste tainting fresh produce is one of the major causes of food-borne ailments. So farmers markets and pick-your-own growers who fear fecal contamination are increasingly guarded about tolerating pets near their edibles.

* This article was originally published here

Anti-stress brain chemical is related to PTSD resilience after trauma

Fewer receptors for the anti-stress brain chemical nociceptin is associated with less severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in college women who have experienced sexual violence, according to a study in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier. The relationship between nociceptin receptor density and PTSD severity was present in women with recent PTSD symptoms but not those with past symptoms, suggesting a role for the receptors in recovery after sexual violence.

* This article was originally published here

Why jackals thrive where humans dominate

As humans put nature under the plow, asphalt, and concrete, some creatures thrive through an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" approach, embracing our disruption of the natural order, and rushing to fill the void created by hunting and habitat change.

* This article was originally published here