Scientists from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) recently came up with the world's first air-conditioned bulletproof jacket based on a special technology called Coolpad that helps police stay cool in hot days.
This Coolpad technology elaborated by Empa was initially developed for cooling clothes for different medical applications.
From the information gathered from the researchers emphasize that the built-in Coolpads evaporate sweat through the material, thus helping the wearer to stay cool.
Besides, the bulletproof jacket has a tiny fan that easily fits into the garment and blows air inside the vest to offer more cooling. To be able to incorporate the fan, researchers at Empa teamed up with Eschler, a textile company from Switzerland, to develop a special fabric spacer that is both stable and flexible.
In order to quickly refill the cool pads with water, scientists created a portable filling station the wearer can easily attach to the jacket using a quick-release fastener.
Fully-charged batteries allow the vest to work in hot conditions for 3 to 4 hours. Empa mentioned that the first bulletproof vests will be manufactured by project partner Unico Swiss Tex GmbH.
A group of synthetic biology scientists and designers from Cambridge University has come up with a daring project called E.chromi.
It is possible that in the near future synthetic biology could greatly influence our way of life, our environment and health.
E.chromi is a genetically engineered bacterium that has the potential of generating colored pigments.
The invention could have a wide range of applications. For instance, it can help identify hazardous pollutants in water by producing a specific color related to each pollutant.
It would be interesting to note that the person who has come up with the idea to create AIRE is Joco Paulo Lammoglia, an inventor from Brazil.
In the brain there is a molecule that is responsible for waste disposal system, this molecule was discovered last year and its activity increases when having a deep sleep. This reason underscore the importance of sleep which has been recommended not to be less than 6 hours daily.
Asides from the waste disposal increase during slumbering, sleep could also inspire the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological diseases linked with protein build-up in the brain.
"If this waste-disposal system is under the body's intrinsic regulation, there could be a pharmacological way to turn the system up or down," says Jeffrey Iliff at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, one of the study authors. "Perhaps this is a biological pathway that could be co-opted to rescue us from or improve neurological degeneration."In the brain there is a molecule that is responsible for waste disposal system, this molecule was discovered last year and its activity increases when having a deep sleep. This reason underscore the importance of sleep which has been recommended not to be less than 6 hours daily.
Asides from the waste disposal increase during slumbering, sleep could also inspire the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological diseases linked with protein build-up in the brain.
"If this waste-disposal system is under the body's intrinsic regulation, there could be a pharmacological way to turn the system up or down," says Jeffrey Iliff at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, one of the study authors. "Perhaps this is a biological pathway that could be co-opted to rescue us from or improve neurological degeneration."
The risk of premature death from smoking is much more severe than previously thought for both light and heavy smokers, a large Australian study has revealed.
The study found that two thirds of deaths in current smokers can be attributed to tobacco use.
Professor Emily Banks from the Australian National University led the study, which followed 200,000 people over four years.
"The international rule of thumb is that half of all smoker deaths are directly caused by tobacco," she said.
"We found that [over the four years] people who are current smokers were three times more likely to die than people who had never smoked, and their life expectancy within that four-year period was diminished by 10 years compared to the never-smokers."
Key points:
Study followed 200,000 people over four years
Two thirds of deaths in current smokers can be attributed to tobacco use
Smoking reduces life expectancy by 10 years
Light smokers also face double risk of early death
Professor Banks is also the scientific director of the Sax Institute's 45 and Up study, which collected the data on the health of 10 per cent of New South Wales residents.
International research has long confirmed the connection between tobacco smoking and premature death from heart problems and lung cancer.
Tobacco smoking is estimated to be responsible for 9.7 per cent of the total disease burden, but until now large-scale Australian data has not been available.
Professor Banks says the effect that smoking has on the population depends on the intensity of smoking and how long people have been smoking.
"So in a way we need our data for our epidemic, and this is the first time that we have had data from the Australian population," she said.
She says the death rate matches patterns in the Britain and the United States.
"When people have been smoking for decades having started smoking in their late teens, and actually smoking heavily ... it's the pattern you see with a mature epidemic," she said
News also bad for 'light' smokers
Similarly, the news is not good for people who think of themselves as light smokers.
"The risk associated with smoking 10 cigarettes a day are similar to the risks of death associated with being morbidly obese, so with having a body mass index of 35 or more," Professor Banks said
"Most light smokers wouldn't think of themselves as having a risk that is similar to someone who is morbidly obese."
While the study did find it is better to be a light smoker than a heavy smoker, it did confirm that giving up improves health.
"On average smokers reduce their life expectancy by 10 years," Professor Banks said.
"Quitting at any age reduces the risks and the earlier, the younger you quit the better."
People who had cancer and heart disease were eliminated at the start and there were adjustments for alcohol, socio-economic factors, weight and age.
The preliminary data is to be presented to the 10th annual 45 and Up Collaborators meeting in Sydney on Friday
Professor Banks says the next step in the research is the basic building block to apply to the general Australian population to find more exactly how many deaths can be attributed to smoking.
Iowa is granting permits to acquire or carry guns in public to people who are legally or completely blind.
No one questions the legality of the permits. State law does not allow sheriffs to deny an Iowan the right to carry a weapon based on physical ability.
The quandary centers squarely on public safety. Advocates for the disabled and Iowa law enforcement officers disagree over whether it's a good idea for visually disabled Iowans to have weapons.
On one side: People such as Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, who demonstrated for The Des Moines Register how blind people can be taught to shoot guns. And Jane Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, who says blocking visually impaired people from the right to obtain weapon permits would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. That federal law generally prohibits different treatment based on disabilities
On the other side: People such as Dubuque County Sheriff Don Vrotsos, who said he wouldn't issue a permit to someone who is blind. And Patrick Clancy, superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, who says guns may be a rare exception to his philosophy that blind people can participate fully in life.
Private gun ownership — even hunting — by visually impaired Iowans is nothing new. But the practice of visually impaired residents legally carrying firearms in public became widely possible thanks to gun permit changes that took effect in Iowa in 2011.
"It seems a little strange, but the way the law reads we can't deny them (a permit) just based on that one thing," said Sgt. Jana Abens, a spokeswoman for the Polk County Sheriff's Department, referring to a visual disability.
Polk County officials say they've issued weapons permits to at least three people who can't legally drive and were unable to read the application forms or had difficulty doing so because of visual impairments.
And sheriffs in three other counties — Jasper, Kossuth and Delaware — say they have granted permits to residents who they believe have severe visual impairments.
"I'm not an expert in vision," Delaware County Sheriff John LeClere said. "At what point do vision problems have a detrimental effect to fire a firearm? If you see nothing but a blurry mass in front of you, then I would say you probably shouldn't be shooting something."
Training the visually impaired
In one Iowa county, blind residents who want weapons would likely receive special training.
Wethington, the Cedar County sheriff, has a legally blind daughter who plans to obtain a permit to carry when she turns 21 in about two years. He demonstrated for the Register how he would train blind people who want to carry a gun.
"If sheriffs spent more time trying to keep guns out of criminals' hands and not people with disabilities, their time would be more productive," Wethington said as he and his daughter took turns practice shooting with a semi-automatic handgun on private property in rural Cedar County.
The number of visually impaired or blind Iowans who can legally carry weapons in public is unknown because that information is not collected by the state or county sheriffs who issue the permits.
Clancy, superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, said the range of sight among people who are classified as legally blind varies greatly. He believes there are situations where such applicants can safely handle a gun.
However, he also expressed concerns.
"Although people who are blind can participate fully in nearly all life's experiences, there are some things like the operation of a weapon that may very well be an exception," Clancy said.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 and other federal laws do not prohibit blind people from owning guns. But unlike Iowa, some states have laws that spell out whether visually impaired people can obtain weapon permits.
Vision requirements are either directly or indirectly part of the weapon permit criteria in some surrounding states.
In Nebraska, for example, applicants for a permit to carry a concealed handgun must provide "proof of vision" by either presenting a valid state driver's license or a statement by an eye doctor that the person meets vision requirements set for a typical vehicle operator's license.
Other states have indirect requirements that could — but don't automatically — disqualify people who are blind. That includes Missouri and Minnesota, where applicants must complete a live fire test, which means they have to shoot and hit a target.
A 50-state database of gun permit requirements published by USACarry.com also shows that South Carolina has a law that requires proof of vision before a person is approved for a weapons permit.
Wisconsin, like Iowa, has no visual restrictions on gun permit applicants. Illinois lawmakers enacted a concealed weapons law in July but permits have not yet been issued. Illinois' qualifications don't specifically require a visual test, but applicants must complete firearms training that includes range instruction.
The National Federation of the Blind does not track states that require vision tests as part of weapon permit processes and has not taken an official stand on the issue. But its members are generally opposed to such laws, said Chris Danielsen, director of public relations for the group.
"There's no reason solely on the (basis) of blindness that a blind person shouldn't be allowed to carry a weapon," Danielsen said. "Presumably they're going to have enough sense not to use a weapon in a situation where they would endanger other people, just like we would expect other people to have that common sense."
Iowa requires training for anyone who is issued a permit to carry a weapon in public, but that requirement can be satisfied through an online course that does not include any hands-on instruction or a shooting test.
A provision in Iowa's law allows sheriffs to deny a permit if probable cause exists to believe that the person is likely to use the weapon in such a way that it would endanger themselves or others. Many sheriffs noted, however, that the provision relates to specific documented actions, and applicants who appealed their cases would likely win.
Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, believes changing the state law to deny blind people or others with physical disabilities the right to carry arms would violate federal disabilities law.
Part of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires a public entity to conduct an individualized analysis to make a reasonable judgment before denying a service. Hudson believes someone could successfully challenge Nebraska's proof of vision requirement as illegal.
"The fact that you can't drive a car doesn't mean you can't go to a shooting range and see a target," Hudson said.
Two international studies have found that aircraft noise may be leading to a rise in heart and lung disease.
Scientists say noise levels could be linked to more stress, sleep deprivation and high blood pressure in people - findings that could have implications for new airports slated for residential areas in Australia.
Professor Paul Elliott from Imperial College London worked on one study that investigated millions of people living near Heathrow.
He found that people living around the major international airport had a 3.5 per cent higher rate of hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease.
The results were vetted for other factors that could affect the data, including sex, ethnicity and smoking.
The boroughs experience noise levels at least 10 decibels higher than the average loud noise, which sits around 70 decibels.
"We know that acute exposure to loud noises can affect a startled reaction in the person with an increase in heart rate and a short-term increase in blood pressure," he said.
"And there is some evidence that this rise in blood pressure may be sustained if there's continual exposure to louder noises."
A vacuum cleaner is about 70 decibels, a lawnmower is about 90 decibels and a jet engine taking off is more than 100 decibels.
Another similar study, conducted by academics at the Boston University School of Public Health and Harvard School of Public Health, looked at six million people aged 65 or more, living around major airports in the United States.
Professor Jon Levy says his results are consistent with the UK findings, with a 2.3 per cent higher rate of hospital admissions.
"The health effects of noise should be thought about and taken into account when looking at airports and airport sitting or expansion," he said.
Strategies to reduce the impact of noise
In the United States, the noise study is being analysed by the US Federal Aviation Authority, which partly funded the research.
Professor Levy says there needs to be a focus on strategies that reduce aircraft noise exposure, including the soundproofing of homes, modified flight paths, and quieter aircraft.
But anti-aircraft noise groups say those measures are just band-aid solutions.
No Aircraft Noise Party spokesman Allan Rees wants a second Sydney airport to relieve the pressure on Kingsford Smith.
"Firstly on the double glazing: this is Sydney," he said.
"This is a mild, moderate climate. We want to have the windows open. We don't want to live in air-conditioned concrete boxes. It's not good living conditions and there's all the outdoor activity that gets interrupted as well.
"As far as the quieter aircraft, as I say, the newer aircraft are quieter, [but] not a great deal. They're still very noisy but that's outweighed by the increase in the number of aircraft and the fact that the average size of the aircraft operating at Mascot is going up steadily."
The Federal Government has not committed to building a second Sydney airport, and the New South Wales Government says capacity at the current site can be safely increased.
