Dunya – Australian Science

FDA Approved an Injection That Will Eliminate Your Double Chin

Dunya — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 07:44:01 +0000

For many of us, trying to hide our double chin – perhaps under a scarf or turtleneck – is a daily battle. It’s a major cause of embarrassment for thousands of affected Australians, and is usually caused by obesity or other natural effects of aging. A double chin is actually just an extra layer of submental fat that forms around the neck and can sometimes sag, creating the impression of a second chin. Up until now, surgery was the only way to remove it.

However, there is now a surgery-free way to remove the dreaded double chin thanks to a recently FDA-approved drug called Kybella (or deoxycholic acid). Approved as a treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe submental fat below the chin, Kybella is an injectable drug that works by helping the body absorb fatty tissue. In essence, the drug dissolves the submental fat under the chin by destroying the fat cell’s membrane, causing it to burst. The remains of the cell are then reabsorbed by the body’s normal metabolic pathways.

According to the results of numerous clinical trials, injecting Kybella into the affected area can produce a noticeable reduction in submental fat in just 6 months. Patients can receive up to 50 injections in a single treatment (which usually lasts around 5 minutes), and sessions must be spaced at least 1 month apart for best results. No bandages are required, and recovery time is between 2 and 3 days.

Image source

There are some side-effects, however, that patients need to be made aware of before embarking on this journey. The most common side-effects reported in clinical trials were swelling, bruising, pain, numbness, redness and areas of hardness around the treatment area. However, most of these should disappear within a few days after treatment.

It’s important to understand that Kybella can also cause far more serious side-effects, such as possible nerve damage in the jaw. Although these side-effects are much less common, some patients have reported uneven smiles, weak facial muscles, and even trouble swallowing after receiving treatment. Indeed, according to Amy G. Egan of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, “Treatment with Kybella should only be provided by a licensed health care professional, and patients should fully understand the risks associated with use of the drug before considering treatment.

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Why Some Cables are Faster than Others

Dunya — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 12:10:14 +0000

In an increasingly information-oriented world maximising the speed of data transfer and download are crucial to competitiveness in the workplace. Needless to say, not all cables are the same, even though they may feature the same input – e.g. USB or HDMI. The material they are made of will have a major impact on reliability, durability and speed.

Common Cable Types

Different types of telecommunications cables include copper, aluminum, and fibre optic cables. Aluminum and copper are the cheapest type of cable with copper being more durable and flexible than the former. Aluminum is significantly cheaper than copper cable, though copper is faster and has become the standard for telecommunications companies, particularly prior to the gradual switch over to fibre optic cables, and the age of high speed broadband.

Whilst copper and aluminum cable are made by bundling pairs of copper or aluminum strands together before jacketing them, the fibre optic cable is made of glass or plastic fibres through which light is transmitted allowing for even greater speeds of data transmission.

Factors Affecting Speed of Copper Cable

Ethernet cable consists of several twisted pairs of copper wiring, which cancel out the interference. This interference would otherwise produce background noise during telephone or internet communications.

Ethernet cable is divided into categories, which currently run from Cat.4 through to Cat7.a, with categories 8.1 and 8.2 under development. Level1, Level2 and Cat.3 and Cat.4 twisted pair cables run from 0.4 to 20 Mhz, which is relatively slow, and are suitable for telephone calls and slow dial-up connections only. Of these only Cat.3 is commonly used.

The cables most likely to be in use for data communications run from Cat.5 to Cat.6a, with Cat.5e (an enhanced version of the Cat.5 cable) and above used on all new cable installations. Cat.5 is suitable for large scale data transfer over short distances, though Cat.5e is better for high speed Gigabit Ethernet. Whilst both categories have a bandwidth of 100 Mhz, Cat.5e has features designed to deal with ‘crosstalk’, which is the undesirable phenomenon whereby two wires which are paired together interfere with each other’s signals.

Cat.6 performs at up to 250 Mhz and has further features to deal with crosstalk, whilst Cat.6a (or augmented category 6) performs at 500 Mhz. Other factors which affect twisted pair cable categorisations include the length at which a wire can be run between terminals and its durability.

Advantages of Fibre Optic over Copper Cable

While copper is capable of high speed data transfer and is likely to be used for many years to come, making it an ideal choice for your home or office network, fibre optic cable is set to become the standard over time.

Fibre Optic Cabling by Joel Penner

Fibre optic cable carries visible light or infrared signals which are bounced across the inside of the cable through a process of ’internal reflection’, at an even frequency, reducing interference and delivering data in an even manner. A fibre optic cable consists of thousands of hair-width glass fibres bundled together.

Although fibre optic cable is in most cases more expensive than copper cable, it is less expensive to maintain and can be installed over greater distances. It also has a higher bandwidth making it a popular choice choice for telecommunications companies. It is more secure, being difficult to ‘tap into’, not least as any resulting interference from a third party would involve an obvious loss of light, causing the system to fail. Additionally, fibre optic is less subject to environmental factors such as changes in temperature and can make contact with water without risk, reducing the need for excessive insulation.

Scientists in New Zealand have recently produced a new fibre optic cable capable of delivering the entire world’s internet traffic down one cable due to their having inserted several cores in each hair-like glass fibre. Whilst such speed has little application in daily or business computing, they do point to the superiority of fibre optic cable in the long run.

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Guide to the Most Important Green Building Certification Systems in the World

Dunya — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 00:15:37 +0000

Here in Australia, the GBCA are working towards a greener and more sustainable future. The past decade has seen tremendous growth within the building industry, as companies such as the GBCA and others have been working towards designing and creating a greater percentage of buildings that are certified as green and sustainable. When looking at how this has been accomplished, there are a plethora of green building certification systems throughout Australia and all over the world that have helped to create a new standard of quality within the industry. Here’s a brief look at what some of these systems are.

LEED Gold Certification

The LEED certification system is one of the foremost rating systems in the world. In fact, LEED is the first green certification system to be utilized by Embassy TechZones in Serbia for their recent Business Park in Indjija and has rated the Pixel Building in Melbourne with the highest green rating out of 44,000 buildings in the world.

In general, the LEED rating system helps to utilize sustainability in the design and construction of a building. This is accomplished through energy and water conservation, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills, lowering the operating costs and providing incentives to building owners, such as tax rebates.

Green Star

Similar to LEED, Green Star is a rating system that is considered to be one of the best in all of Australia. This system rates a myriad of different types of buildings on how green and sustainable they are, including schools, hospitals, industrial facilities, offices, apartment buildings and more. They are an independent third-party analyst, so the ratings are never skewed in the favor of any particular building.

This rating system utilizes a wide range of different factors for analysis in determining the sustainability level of a certain building. Each of these rating tools are designed specifically for different building types. For example, the ratings for an office are based on 8 factors, including management, indoor environment quality, energy, transport, water, materials, land use and ecology and emissions.

NatHERS

While not quite as large as the LEED and Green Star building certification systems, NatHERS focuses its system on house designs to ensure that they, at the very least, have the minimum amount of sustainability levels that have been set by the BCA, or Building Code of Australia. To ensure that a house is as energy efficient and green as possible, they provide a detailed analysis and rating at the very beginning of the design stage.

Their rating extends from zero to ten stars, with the latter being the best that a house can achieve when it comes to energy efficiency. NatHERS determines the heating and cooling potential of a house by rating the shading, house location, house type, glazing type and building materials that are to be used in the construction of the house.

NABERS

NABERS, or National Australian Built Environment Rating System, measures and rates the environmental performance of buildings within Australia, such as hotels, offices and shopping centres. While they differ a bit from the aforementioned certification systems, as they focus primarily on grading how the building performs after its been completed instead of during its initial design and creation, they offer up a comprehensive set of rating tools that work well in determining the sustainability levels of a building.

In 2010, the Commercial Building Disclosures ruling in Australia made it clear that all offices utilizing a floor area of more than 2,000 square meters must provide NABERS with their energy levels so that they can give the building an indoor performance rating. Their rating system is similar to that of Green Star, while they focus mostly on rating the water consumption, waste generation, indoor environment quality and energy bills of a building.

Overall, these are merely just a few of the huge variety of green building certification systems that are present in the world and growing more numerous by the minute. With more and more businesses deciding to go the route of ensuring that their buildings meet these certification standards, the world’s environmental future is looking better with each passing day.

Photos by Pierre, Sam Biebe on Flickr

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The Vaccination Debate: Answers to Common Questions about Vaccination Safety

Dunya — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 10:37:12 +0000

Vaccinations are not mandatory in Australia, yet it is relatively standard for most children to be vaccinated against diseases such as polio, hepatitis and meningitis. However, in recent years questions have been raised about whether the problems outweigh the advantages of vaccinations, sparking intense debate amongst parents, scientists and the general public.

Here, we take a look at some of the most common questions that people ask in regards to vaccination safety.

Can vaccinations cause autism?

For nearly two decades there are myths surrounding the relationship between autism and vaccines. In 1998, respected medical journal The Lancet published a paper that appeared to link the common vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) with autism. This research, by surgeon and medical researcher Andrew Wakefield, resulted in global widespread media attention. However, The Sunday Times newspaper in the United Kingdom later revealed that Wakefield had not disclosed a conflict of interest with a pharmaceutical company that was looking to patent a single measles vaccine. As such, he was taken off the medical registrar and his research detracted.

Several years later, Japanese researchers did their own unbiased research that dispelled the myth that there was a positive correlation between the MMR vaccine and autism. (David Channon, 2014)

What are the risks associated with vaccinations?

Every medical procedure and treatment has an element of risk attached to it, and vaccinations are no different.

The most common side effects of vaccinations are minor, including mild fever, redness and rashes. These will generally subside within a few days. (Immunise, 2014)

However, what has most people concerned are the more serious side effects. While life-threatening side effects are very rare, they do exist. (CDC, 2014) There is no guaranteeing that a person will not react badly to a vaccination, but any bad reactions are highly regulated by the Australian Government. All health practitioners are required to report, in detail, any adverse side effects they witness in a person to the Health Department. With this data, the Department will respond accordingly with the priority of public safety as its focus. (Government of Western Australia, 2014)

Can the body immunise itself without vaccinations?

Many people believe that the body should immunise itself by developing natural immunity to diseases. While the body is fantastic at fighting off many diseases, there are some that it simply isn’t strong enough to control on its own. And, if left to fight off certain diseases it can result in unnecessary serious illness or even death. This is particularly true in those with weakened immune systems such as children and the elderly.

When the body catches a disease such as chicken pox, it fights it off and remembers how it did it. Then, the next time the body contracts the same infectious bacterium, virus or fungus, it knows how to deal with it. Vaccinations are designed to ‘trick’ the body into thinking it has previously contracted a particular disease, without actually giving the person symptoms of the disease. This means that if they were to come into contact with it, the body would recognise it and be able to fight it off. (Better Health, 2014)

Why vaccinate when most diseases have been largely eradicated?

We are fortunate in Australia – as well as other developed countries – that many diseases that once killed tens of thousands of children every year are now incredibly rare. This has led to the misconception that vaccines are no longer required for diseases such as polio and measles. However, the reason that these diseases are so uncommon now is because vaccination rates are so high.

If you would like to read more on this topic, here are some great resources where you can find more information about vaccination safety:

http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/6mishome.htm

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Immunisation…

http://www.travelvaccinationclinic.co.uk/5-common-vaccine-myths/

http://www.health.wa.gov.au/vaccination/#surveillance

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-23244628

Photos by: Daniel Paquet and NIAID

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New Advances in HIV Research

Dunya — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 00:15:44 +0000

Around the world, over 35 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and over 2 million new cases are reported every year. All this for a disease that was only first discovered in 1981. (WHO, 2013) It’s clear that something needs to be done, and fortunately millions of dollars are being put into HIV research. The research being done can largely be broken up into three categories: prevention, treatment and cure.

Here we take a look at the situation in Australia as well as some of the most promising advances in HIV research in each of these stages.

HIV in Australia

Many people think that HIV/AIDs is something that only occurs in developing nations. While 95% of cases do occur in low and middle income countries (AIDS, 2014), at the end of 2010 over 21,000 people were diagnosed as HIV positive in Australia and 6,787 had died as a result of an AIDs-related illness. (HIV Test Australia, 2014)

People Living with HIV/AIDS by Country

Research into HIV/AIDs in Australia has been strong since 1980. The most prominent research organisation is the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales. The highly regarded institute was one of the first to receive a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation outside of the United States, and continues to do ground-breaking, world-class research.

Prevention

At the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), held in Boston on 3-6 March 2014, there was a major focus on research into HIV prevention. One presentation by the Microbicide Trials Network discussed the use of a vaginal ring that offered both anti-HIV and contraceptive properties. (MTN, 2014)

Another interesting development that was announced in April 2014 was the use of Australian coral and bee venom as a potential HIV prevention treatment. The National Cancer Institute identified a protein located in Australian coral reefs that is capable of blocking the HIV virus from interfering with human T cells. (U.S. Finance Post, 2014)

Treatment

Unfortunately we’re not at the stage where prevention efforts are prevalent enough not to need to continue researching treatment methods. Finding treatments mean that people who are living with HIV can lead longer and more satisfying lives.

One of the major breakthroughs this year for Australian HIV patients was the lifting of the PBS benefits restrictions for patients at the early stages of the disease. Since March 2014, people at any stage of the disease now have access to subsidised treatment. (NAPWA, 2014)

In terms of research, speakers at this year’s CROI emphasised that studies over the past three years had shown that antiretroviral drugs such as the commonly used tenofovir were definitely effective, but the problem lied in people not adhering to taking the drugs. The antiretroviral drugs must be taken for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and are an essential part of treatment.

This made it clear that adherence needed to be the focus of research. A drug called GSK-744LA has been shown to offer good HIV protection in monkeys, and is a long-term injectable that would mean PrEP would change from a daily pill to a three-monthly injection. The drug will soon be tested in humans. (Aidsmap, 2014)

Cure

Although prevention and treatment research is incredibly valuable and is helping to minimise the number of people who contract and die from HIV/AIDS, a cure is what everybody is hoping for. Fortunately, some very positive research has been conducted in recent years.

South Australian researchers recently claimed they had developed a DNA vaccine that could potentially help cure HIV, as well as hepatitis C. Adelaide University’s Professor Eric Gowans, said that although DNA vaccines have been incredibly successful in small animals, they have had less success in large animals and humans – but things are improving. The DNA vaccines work by stimulating the body’s immune response and combining with the white blood cells to kill either HIV or hepatitis C cells. (ABC, 2014)

Image Credit: NIAID, Thiagarajan Vardharaju

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Paper Consumption Impact in Australia

Dunya — Fri, 02 May 2014 00:15:07 +0000

Everyone must play their part in creating sustainable futures for the world’s commodities. Paper is a huge commodity and is consumed at exorbitant rates as outlined by Forest Ethics‘ recent research. They reported that across the world North America used on average 229kg of paper per capita annually, Western Europe got through 178.7 kilograms, Latin America 43.02, Asia 41 and Africa 7.51 kilograms per person. In Australia we use on average 230kg per person per year. It is clear that the paper industry demands exponential resources to continue to fulfill the demand and if Australia would like to achieve sustainability we must rethink our consumerist ways.

Even though environmental organisations may talk of green initiatives to reduce paper consumption the idea of a paperless-society is far from being a possibility. People are still heavily reliant on paper to run a business, school or organisation and to fuel general lifestyle products such as boxes, packaging, magazines, newspapers and labels. Since European Settlement Australia has cleared almost half of its forest areas and we continue to deforest an area the size of the ACT every year. The act of paper-want is putting a heavy burden on Australia’s ecological sustainability. In 2007-2008 Clean Up Australia reported that we used 4,250, 000 tonnes of paper and of that we sent 1.9 million tonnes straight to landfill. Every office uses 10,000 sheets of A4 paper on average and 50% of that will end up as garbage. These statistics are a sobering reminder of Western waste.

Paper production is a process that has not changed in over 2000 years. In today’s measures it takes 24 trees to produce one tonne of virgin printer paper but only 25% of each tree is used to produce the paper product. The paper industry is a greedy resource consumer that uses more water to produce a tonne of its product than any other industry. It uses a staggering 90,000 litres of water per tonne of virgin paper.

Recycled paper not only assuages environmental impact but drastically reduces the amount of vital resources needed to produce it. Creating one tonne of recycled paper consumes 50% less energy than virgin paper which equates to only 4100 kilowatt hours of electricity per tonne as well as only requiring 25% of the amount of bleach used new office paper. It also saves:

13-24 trees
31,780 litres of water
2.5 barrels of oil
4 cubic metres of landfill
27 kilograms of air pollutants

Paper recycling plays a pivotal role in helping to reduce the environmental impact the paper industry has had on vital world resources since the European Settlement. There are initiatives that independent Governments, organisations and the likes of the European Union have put forward to curb the astonishing waste of resources which is a result of paper production. The environmental management of paper is an ever present issue which individuals, groups and continents must acknowledge before the world’s forests are depleted to a point of complete environmental hazard.

Recycling in general benefits the environment no matter what type of item you choose. Be it paper or cans, food scraps or plastic there is worth in saving every item. Planet Arc dispels the myth in their 2006 report which was created to enlighten people from the persuasive and unrealistic myths which prohibit the proliferation of recycling across the world. They note that every commodity has ‘embodied energy’ which is the energy that it took to produce the item and the act of recycling it recovers a portion of that energy. The Australian Council of Recyclers estimated for the benefit of the report that recycling in Australia generates $3.5 billion of eco-services, recovers $912 million of commodity value and 68,400 giga-watt hours (GWh) of embodied energy.

Both businesses and organisations can support paper recycling and environmental management by aligning their practices to an international standard such as EMAS. EMAS volunteer their time to appraise organisations that continually enhance their environmental performance. Businesses which run an Environment Management System and regularly report their performance in published form, which is verified by an independent statement, can be registered with EMAS. They are also encouraged to use the EMAS logo on their promotional material so their customers can be guaranteed that they are legally compliant.

In small measures individuals can improve their participation in paper wastage. Do some research and make sure that you are doing your best to help the cause.

Images by Joel Penner and Nicolas Raymond

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The Future of Solar Power Technologies in Australia

Dunya — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 00:15:17 +0000

As the cost of fossil fuels go up around the world, and the impact of climate change becoming increasingly avoidable, people are looking for reliable, alternative sources of energy. With the favourable climate in Australia, it’s a no-brainer that solar power is the way forward. But gone are the days of inefficient panels at extraordinary prices – and Australian researchers are leading the way.

Cutting edge solar panels

About solar power

Solar power is fast becoming the top choice for families and businesses looking to cut down on their electricity bills and minimise their impact on climate change. In the past, the cost was inhibiting, but as technology improves and costs come down – it is being rapidly implemented.

Solar power can be used for a variety of purposes – some use it in combination with standard energy while others use it as a sole energy provider. It can also be used as a standalone technology to heat a hot water system, which can be a popular choice as heating can account for up to 70 per cent of energy bills.

In the past, solar energy could only be captured and used at that same moment – but now, solar systems are able to store energy during the day and then release it at night, making it a much more practical choice.

Australia and solar power

Australia is a global leader in solar power technology. There are nearly 17,000 people employed full-time in the solar industry and there are now over one million solar power systems installed across the country, compared to just 8,000 in 2007.

A 2013 report into Australia’s solar energy future found that despite Australia being the world’s sunniest continent, solar energy was largely underutilised. However, it also found that the price of solar power systems were dropping so fast that in some areas the cost was almost competitive with standard electricity companies, and the cost of installation was less than a quarter of the price a decade ago. (Flannery, T., 2013)

Solar station in White Cliffs

Current solar power technology

Solar power technology has come a long way even in just the past few years, and Australians now have numerous options when it comes to choosing a solar energy solution. Options include manufacturers, materials used and the technology within the solar panels, too.

There are three main types of solar panels – polycrystalline, monocrystalline and amorphous modules. There are numerous others, but these are the most popular choices due to efficiency, cost and aesthetics. For example, monocrystalline tend to be the most efficient, but are not as cheap as polycrystalline is cheaper to produce. In the past few years, though, the cost of monocrystalline panels have dropped – making them the most popular choice for Australians.

Future of solar power

It is estimated that by 2050, solar power will account for 29 per cent of Australia’s energy needs. (Flannery, T., 2013) To achieve this, technology needs to be continually advancing – and new solar technology is already on its way, with Australia leading the research. Here are a few key developments happening in Australia right now.

Printable Solar Panels

Australian researchers have recently developed a method of producing printable solar cells. A printer that has been installed at CSIRO is capable of printing solar cells in A3 size – the largest ever created. Although they are not ready to be released to the public, the technology – and low cost of production – is a good sign of things to come.

Solar Power Farms

In August 2013, the University of Queensland announced that it had would be leading a $450 million solar farm project in western New South Wales. A joint initiative between the Federal Government and AGL Energy, the project will see the building of the southern hemisphere’s largest solar power plant, bringing renewable energy into many more homes. (UQ, 2013)

The building of solar farms has the benefit of providing mass solar power and minimising our carbon footprint, without the need for individual homes to have solar panels installed.

Mildura Solar Concentration Power Station

The largest step towards increasing solar energy in the state of Victoria is due to be completed in 2017. The Mildura Solar Concentration Power Station, which will become Australia’s largest concentrated solar panel plant on completion, is set to be a 100MW power plant and currently has 40 CPV dishes already feeding power into the region’s grid. The technology to be used at the power station was originally developed by Boeing to be used on satellites.

The company who owns the power station, Silex, has said that the cost of energy could drop to 10c/kWh ($100/MWh) within a few years using their innovative technology, which – if achieved – is a significant decrease. (Renew Economy, 2013)

Conclusion

Considering the huge increase in uptake of solar energy in just the past five years, solar is clearly the way forward for Australia’s energy supplies. Not only is it cost-effective but it utilises a resource that is naturally available to us and doesn’t require Earth-destroying mining or drilling to get to it.

Although solar power is already a relatively significant part of energy in Australia, technology still has a long way to come before it is considered our primary source.

Images by Kenny Louie, Jimmy Joe and Richard Gifford.

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Advances in the Robotics Industry: DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials

Dunya — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:15:25 +0000

Every year it seems a new movie comes out that tells a story of robots going out of control and taking over the world. In reality, some of the world’s brightest minds are developing robots and software to help assist humans in a range of important work, including surgery, bomb detection and natural disaster assistance.

The DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials were developed to help support and advance those who work with this technology.

About the trials

The DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) is run by the American Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, and winners are awarded a $2 million grant to go towards further development of their robotic technology.

The purpose of the DARPA Robotics Challenge is to promote the use of robotics in assisting humans with natural and manmade disasters; in particular, the use of robots to do things that humans cannot safely do themselves.

Entrants are put through a series of simulated disaster response scenarios such as driving a vehicle, cleaning up debris and cutting through a wall.

Unlike the majority of robots used currently, which work in a very methodical, predictable fashion – such as those in factories – robots that are designed to work in unpredictable situations and environments serve an entirely different, more complex purpose.

DARPA said that robots in the trials generally have the intellectual ability of a two year old child. Although they will still require human commands such as ‘clear up that rubble in front of you’, they can understand a range of commands and implement them.

Photo by robots.net

Categories of the trials

During the trials, there are seven different tasks that competitors have to complete. The complexity and variety of these tasks demonstrates just how advanced these robots are.

Vehicle

During the vehicle task, robots have to drive a vehicle around a pre-determined course that is lined with bollards and pylons and then get out of the vehicle and exit the scene at the end of the course.

Terrain

The terrain task requires robots to travel across three different terrains, which vary in difficulty and complexity. The terrains are made from a variety of blocks, which may shift during the competition.

Ladder

The third task has robots climbing a ladder that is secured at the base. The teams can choose to have either zero, one or two handrails on their course. They can also choose whether they want the ladder at a 60 or 75 degree angle.

Debris

The debris task is divided into three stages. First, the robot must lift and remove five pieces of debris, they will then lift and remove a further five pieces of debris; finally, they must exit through a doorway. The debris is made from a light material such as balsa wood. As long as the robot moves the debris out of its path, it is acceptable.

Door

There are three separate components of the door task. The robots must be able to open a push door, a pull door and a weighted pull door. The doors use a lever-style handle and have a 36

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The Future of Fertility Treatment: Advanced Embryo Selection

Dunya — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 00:08:03 +0000

It is incredible just how far science and technology have come over the last few decades. In the past, men and women with fertility problems had very few options. Nowadays, there are more options than ever before and fertility treatments are becoming increasingly advanced and reliable.

The latest breakthrough in fertility treatments is here in Australia, where a new technique in preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) technology, called Advanced Embryo Selection has shown promising results in reducing a woman’s risk of miscarriage.

What is Advanced Embryo Selection (AES)?

Up to 70 per cent of embryos created are abnormal, meaning that they will not result in a healthy baby being born. AES is a form of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, which refers to genetic profiling of embryos prior to transfer into a patient. Advanced Embryo Selection is a new, more advanced PGD technique that allows scientists to select the best embryos for implantation in advance, decreasing the risk of miscarriage and increasing IVF pregnancy rates by up to 65%.

How does Advanced Embryo Selection Work?

Prior to implantation, all 24 chromosomes of a developing embryo are screened to determine whether or not there are any extra or missing chromosomes, which would inhibit a successful pregnancy.

By studying the individual chromosomes, scientists can identify whether or not a particular embryo would potentially result in a miscarriage, would not initiate a pregnancy at all or might result in birth defects such as Down Syndrome.

It takes approximately 36 hours to do the tests that will determine the potential success rate of an embryo. It is claimed to be the world’s fastest and most precise embryo selection test available.

Benefits of Advanced Embryo Selection

While typical non-selective lVF treatment is more than suitable for a lot of women, there are a range of benefits to using Advanced Embryo Selection as a preferred/additional technique.

The key benefit of AES is that chromosomes are accurately assessed prior to implantation, minimising the risk of miscarriage and failed pregnancies. It can mean less stress for the women involved and the process can be completed overnight so that embryos do not need freezing while results are pending.

Additionally, a patient’s IVF cycle can continue uninterrupted while the AES process is happening, largely due to the quick turn around time for results.

The tests on embryos are done from a single cell, which is biopsied on day three of embryo growth. This means that a patient will have more embryos available for testing.

Who is Advanced Embryo Selection for?

Advanced Embryo Selection is suitable for a lot of people with fertility problems, however it can be particularly beneficial for women who fit the following criteria:

Aged 38 years or over
A history of recurrent miscarriage
A history of failed IVF attempts
There has previously been an abnormally chromosomal pregnancy (e.g. Down Syndrome)

However, it is best to speak to your GP or fertility specialist about whether or not AES is suitable for your circumstances.

What is the Advanced Embryo Selection Process?

As mentioned above, the AES process involves a single-cell analysis from a three day old embryo. This single cell’s DNA is then multiplied thousands of times using comparative genomic hybridization technology, which is placed on a DNA chip.

This DNA is then assessed against normal male and female DNA. It is at this stage that scientists can detect whether or not an embryo is suitable for transfer. Only those that have a normal, healthy chromosomal profile will be chosen.

Further reading:

http://ivf.com.au/fertility-treatment/genetic-testing-pgd/advanced-embryo-selection

http://qfg.com.au/fertility-treatment/genetic-testing-pgd/advanced-embryo-selection

http://www.carefertility.com/genetics-programme-sc2/what-is-pgd-what-is-genetic-diagnosis-sj1/

Image credit: Flickr

PDF Resource Credit: Dr Michael Flynn

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Voice Analysis Software – Innovative or Invasive?

Dunya — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 07:28:50 +0000

A new voice analysis software that aims to decipher your inner feelings has made a splash into the innovative technology scene, with mixed reactions. In a case of machines helping machines, a computational voice analysis software created by a startup in Tel Aviv, Israel, can actually detect emotions in a person’s voice and share that through a machine. The phrase ‘it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it’ comes to mind.

What can it do?

The software is still in its early stages, but the developers say that it is able to determine whether or not a person’s happy attitude actually has frustration lying beneath it, or vice versa.

Currently, the software can detect around 400 variations of different moods. Unlike other similar software, it doesn’t use trigger words such as ‘ridiculous’ or ‘outrageous’ to do its analysis, instead its algorithm is based on the tone and frequency of a voice.

The software can also pinpoint a consumer’s personality, which can affect their purchasing habits. For example, if a person is conservative, a marketer or salesperson would want to offer them a product that is tried and tested, as opposed to an innovative person who might be more drawn to the latest products.

Image source: Ticketbis

How was it developed?

To develop the software, the emotions of over 70,000 people speaking in 30 different languages were analysed. The startup’s research was inspired by an Israeli study done in the 1990’s that looked at how babies understood and responded to the moods of adult speech prior to learning how to speak themselves.

What can it be used for?

Although there are several researchers that are developing similar products, the one created by said company, Beyond Verbal, is targetting call centres and customer service departments. By using the software, the people at the other end of the line can gain insight into a caller’s mood, intention and personality.

For example, a customer may lodge a help ticket with a call centre, and while on the phone the operator can determine whether the caller is getting agitated, is upset or is genuinely happy – despite how they might first come across. This can help the operator treat the consumer accordingly.

Going forward, the technology used in the software could potentially be used for a wide variety of situations, including within the legal system.

Why doesn’t everyone love it?
Despite the technology being undoubtedly clever, not everyone is so convinced. One key point that is raised is that the software can only determine a person’s mood at the time of that one phone call, which isn’t helpful for long-term customer relations.

The issue of privacy also comes up. Not everyone would feel comfortable knowing that they are being analysed as they speak – and if they did, would they subconsciously act different, thus skewing results?

With all new technology comes doubts and concerns. For every positive there is someone pointing out the negatives.

Further reading:

1. To infinity and Beyond Verbal: The Web app revolutionizing the science of voice analysis. Available at http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/exploring-beyond-verbal-the-technology-of-emotions-analytics/

2. Beyond Verbal secures $2.8M, detects human emotions and character through voice recognition. Available at http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/09/beyond-verbal-secures-2-8m-detects-human-emotions-and-character-through-voice-recognition/

3. Could voice analysis software give away lying CEOS? New system picks up tiny ‘tells’ which could warn investors of fraud. Available at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2096153/Could-voice-analysis-software-away-lying-CEOS-Harvard-researchers-test-warn-investors-fraud-ahead.html

Featured image source: Stanford University

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