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<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image">Flickr-karmaOWL</div></div><keyword id="6359245" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="schizophrenia">Schizophrenia</keyword> is a mental illness that affects roughly 24 million people a year, according to <a href="http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/schizophrenia/en/">World Health Organization</a> statistics. Researchers know that the disorder runs in families, which points to a hereditary factor, and have also found evidence that it is characterized by abnormalities in the <keyword id="6361813" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="brain">brain</keyword>'s white matter.
But finding exactly where in the white matter is no easy feat. The most common brain-imaging method, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), works by mapping the spread of water molecules in cells. The snag is that pathways in white matter are so tightly packed together that getting a precise reading about where a problem is occurring is not possible using this technique.
Now, Harvard Medical School researchers are using a different set of tools to get a more complete picture of this part of the brain.
"The DTI approach was suggesting abnormality but it was non-specific, so couldn't be sure if it was inside or outside the neuron," says Dost Ongur, senior author of a <a href="http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/PIIS0006322313002229/abstract">study</a> published Sept. 15 in the journal Biological Psychiatry. "Now with our work, we can say where that abnormality is."
The results of their research may lead to more targeted treatments and different approaches to making white matter healthier.
The study pinpointed where the abnormalities that characterize schizophrenia are coming from using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which measures brain chemical levels, and magnetization transfer imaging, which senses changes in myelin throughout the white matter.
"Myelin insulates the neurons and prevents electrical leakage from inside to outside," says Ongur. If there is a problem in the myelin, "that would cause abnormal information processing," he says, "and the connection between neurons in different parts of the brain would suffer."
Their results suggest that the abnormalities happen in both the long projections of neurons called axons, whose primary function is to transmit signals from neuron to neuron, and the myelin. If the axon is an electric wire, the myelin is the plastic covering. Both are important in transmitting information and, in schizophrenia, both appear to function abnormally.<div class="KonaFilter image-container full"><div class="image on-image">Biological PsychiatryBrain scan images showing the marker used to identify changes in white matter in the prefrontal cortex. Courtesy Biological Psychiatry.</div></div>"We found abnormalities in both locations," says Ongur. "The implication is if you know where the abnormality is, you can focus your treatment intervention at the place where the abnormality is. We know we need to worry about health of neurons and the myelin."
It's still too early to use this new imaging method as a diagnostic tool. "One concern is people with other psychiatric problems may have similar abnormalities, too. We're looking at that," says Ongur.
But it can be used to measure the effects of treatment interventions. For schizophrenia, treatment options include antipsychotic medications, but Ongur says there are other approaches, such as cognitive remediation.
"Cognitive remediation uses computer-based cognitive tasks, which force people to use their brain circuitry in a variety of ways," he says. "We're hoping this would be a creative way to make healthier white matter."<a href="http://www.txchnologist.com/?pid=BI">Txchnologist</a> is a digital magazine presented by GE that focuses on innovation in science and technology.

Scientists Think They've Found The Brain Issue Linked To Schizophrenia

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> Photos/Getty Images</div></div>Economists studying the effects of implementing high-speed rail systems say that the benefits to people and places where they are built make the technology a winning infrastructure investment.
Public policy and economics experts from UCLA and China’s Tsinghua University conducted the study, which looked at the results of China’s investments in an expanding high-speed train network. Bullet <keyword id="6360847" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Trains">trains</keyword> traveling an average of 124 mph or higher <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/763553.shtml">began operating in the country</a> in 2008.
Their analysis, <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/03/13/1209247110.full.pdf+html">published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, found that the technology fuels real estate booms, reduces commuting times for those traveling to major cities, and eases congestion in major cities while giving smaller towns greater access to metropolitan hubs. They say high-speed service to “second-tier” cities makes them more attractive to people who would otherwise migrate to major urban centers, creating a “safety valve” in metropolitan areas all over the world where population is rising.
“Bullet trains simultaneously alleviate some of the congestion costs associated with urban growth in the megacities and trigger the growth of the nearby second-tier cities,” said environmental economist Matthew Kahn, a professor at <a href="http://www.environment.ucla.edu/">UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability</a>, in a university statement. “With overpopulation in the developing world, there’s a concern that megacities are too attractive and could soon be overrun by rural residents moving to urban areas. The bullet trains could act as a safety valve by encouraging people to move to second-tier cities, improving the quality of life in both areas and creating more sustainable growth.”
<a href="http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature124824/">China now boasts</a> more than 6,000 miles of high-speed rail lines crisscrossing the country, and has set a goal of building nearly 10,000 miles by 2020. The government expects to spend $293 billion on the expansion.
Kahn and his colleagues studied Chinese cities Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Cangzhou and Yangquan, which before the bullet trains did not have ready access to megacities like Beijing or Shanghai. Now, they are experiencing development and companies are moving out to these less densely populated areas, keeping smaller headquarters staff within the global hub cities.
“Transportation technology that allows individuals to access the megacity without living within its boundaries offers potentially large social bene?ts, because individuals can enjoy the bene?ts of urban agglomeration while not paying megacity real estate rents and suffering from the city’s social costs,” they wrote in their paper.
They believe the benefits that they saw in the expansion of the Chinese bullet train could be similar in places like California, which is beginning <a href="http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/">to build its own high-speed rail network</a>.<a href="http://www.txchnologist.com/?pid=BI">Txchnologist</a> is a digital magazine presented by GE that focuses on innovation in science and technology.

New Study Shows How High Speed Rail Improves The Quality Of Urban Life

Law enforcement officers have a new tool to quickly halt vehicle pursuits or drivers who blow through checkpoints.
The device is called Pit-BUL (short for Pit-Ballistic Undercarriage Lanyard) and its makers at the <a href="http://www.psemc.com/product-families/vehicle-arresting-technologies/">Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company</a> say it can stop anything from a compact car to an SUV.
The vehicle-arresting system is essentially a row of metal darts that puncture front tires and netting that ensnares the wheels and axle.
“If a driver blows through a checkpoint, the agent can press a button and the car’s tires are spiked and netted in milliseconds,” says Mark Kaczmarek, a program manager with <keyword id="134917" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="department-of-homeland-security">Department of Homeland Security</keyword>, which funded development of the technology. “No high-speed pursuit is needed, and no one’s life is put at risk.”
<a href="http://www.txchnologist.com/?pid=BI">Txchnologist</a> is a digital magazine presented by GE that focuses on innovation in science and technology.

Cops Have An Amazing New Tool To Stop Cars That Blow Through Checkpoints

Scientists are constantly on the look out for lighter, stronger, and more energy-efficient materials. Here's a glance at some materials that will change the way we build things in the future.
<h2>Graphene is extremely thin and strong.</h2>
What it is: Graphene is a substance made of pure carbon. The carbon is arranged in a honeycomb pattern in a one-atom thick sheet. Another way to think of graphene: Each time we write with a graphite pencil, we are basically making layers of graphene.
How it's transformative: Graphene has been called a "miracle material" because it's thin, strong, flexible, conducts electricity, and its nearly transparent. Its potential applications are practically limitless. Graphene researchers <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2010/press.html">won the Nobel Prize in Physics</a> in 2010 for developing the wonder-material and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/make-graphene-in-your-kitchen-2014-4">now you can even make it in your kitchen</a>.
Suggested uses: Solar cells, touchscreens, liquid crystal displays, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lockheed-martin-desalination-graphene-filters-2013-3" target="_blank">desalination </a>technology, aerospace materials, more efficient transistors, chemical sensors that can detect explosives
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/story/image-gallery/">The University of Manchester</a></div></div>
<h2>A super water-proof material makes drops bounce.</h2>
What it is: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-new-super-waterproof-material-makes-water-drops-bounce-off-it-2013-10" target="_blank">A surface textured</a> with extremely tiny cones repels water droplets. The super-hydrophobic surface, created by a team at <a href="http://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=11583" target="_blank">Brookhaven Laboratory in New York</a>, is unlike other water-resistant materials because it can stand up to conditions of extreme temperature, pressure, and humidity.
How it's transformative: These surfaces not only don't get wet, but would stay cleaner since the water droplets carry dirt with them as they roll off (this mimics the self-cleaning properties of nature). The material would be useful for preventing ice or algae build-up or even as an antibacterial coating.
Suggested uses: Coating boat hulls, car parts, and medical devices, car and plane windshields, steam turbine power generators
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cxuCydjJSA">BroohavenLab</a></div></div></div>
<h2>Aerographite is 75 times lighter than styrofoam. </h2>
What it is: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-material-is-lightest-in-the-world-2012-7#" target="_blank">Aerographite</a>, created by researchers at the <a href="http://www.uni-kiel.de/aktuell/pm/2012/2012-212-aerographit-e.shtml" target="_blank">Hamburg University of Technology</a> in 2012, is made from networks of hollow carbon tubes. It's black in color (because it absorbs light rays almost completely), stable at room temperature, and is able to conduct electricity. The material is really strong, but also bendable.
How it's transformative: The material can be compressed into a space 95% its normal area and then pulled back to its original form without being damaged. The stress makes the material even stronger. This is unique since most lightweight materials can be compressed, but can't withstand tension. The material can also withstand a lot of vibration, which means it can be used for airplanes and satellites.
Suggested uses: Lighter batteries for electric cars and bikes, more efficient water and air purification systems, aviation, and satellites.
 
<h2>An ultra-thin material provides protection against high-speed objects.</h2>
What it is: A super-thin material created by researchers at Rice University and MIT <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paper-thin-material-can-stop-bullets-in-their-tracks-2012-11" target="_blank">can stop a fast-moving projectile</a>, such as a bullet, in its path. The material, made from alternating rubber and glassy layers that are each just 20 nanometers thick, is good at dispersing energy. After <a href="http://news.rice.edu/2012/10/30/microbullets-reveal-material-strengths-2/" target="_blank">being pelted</a> with tiny glass beads, the complex polyurethane material not only stopped the bullets, it also sealed them inside, making it appear as if no damage had been done.
How it's transformative: When struck, the material melts into liquid to absorb the energy and then quickly hardens to close the entryway. "There's no macroscopic damage," project researcher Ned Thomas <a href="http://news.rice.edu/2012/10/30/microbullets-reveal-material-strengths-2/" target="_blank">explained in a statement</a>. "You can still see through it. This would be a great ballistic windshield material."
Suggested uses: Protection for satellites against meteors and other space debris, stronger jet turbine-blades, and stronger, lighter armor for soldiers and police
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image">Tommy LaVergneNed Thomas, dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice and a materials scientist, holds a polyurethane disk with the bullets it stopped and sealed inside.</div></div>
<h2>Live bacteria is used to make self-healing concrete. </h2>
What it is: Concrete is a popular building material, but it's vulnerable to cracks. Water and chloride from icing salt can seep into pre-existing fissures and make them larger. Overtime, this can become a dangerous (and expensive) problem. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bacteria-make-concrete-self-healing-2012-11">Self-healing concrete</a>, developed by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJc8Xyk3w9o" target="_blank">scientists at Delft University in the Netherlands</a>, uses live bacteria - mixed into the concrete before it is poured - to seal up those fractures.
How it's transformative: When water gets into the cracks, the bacteria is activated and produces a component in limestone called calcite that fills up the crack completely. Researchers are still conducting outdoor tests to see if the concrete can be put to real use.
Suggested uses: Sidewalks, building foundations, other architectural structures
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJc8Xyk3w9o">Totally Concrete Club/YouTube</a>Bacteria spores added to concrete mix are activated by water.</div></div></div>
<h2>A bone-like material that's lighter than water, but stronger than some types of steel.</h2>
Jens Bauer at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology recently developed a honeycomb- structured material that is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-material-is-lighter-than-water-stronger-than-steel-2014-3">less dense than water</a>, but as strong as some forms of steel.
"The novel lightweight construction materials resemble the framework structure of a half-timbered house with horizontal, vertical, and diagonal struts," lead researcher Jens Bauer, said in a statement.
The researchers samples "contained 45 percent to more than 90 percent air, making them extremely lightweight while also withstanding more than 46,000 pounds per square inch of pressure,"<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-material-is-lighter-than-water-stronger-than-steel-2014-3" target="_blank"> according to Txchnologist</a>.
How it's transformative: Even though objects made from this material can only be manufactured in the micrometer-range right now, this is the first time scientists were able to produce a material that exceeds "the strength-to-weight ratio of all engineering materials, with a density below 1,000 kg/m3," the authors <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/111/7/2453" target="_blank">wrote in a paper</a>.
Suggested uses: Insulation, shock absorbers, filters in the chemical industry
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koRjc9AyV8Q">Jens Bauer and colleagues at Karlsruher Institute of Technology</a>A compression test is performed on the honeycomb structure</div></div>

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Scientists Think They've Found The Brain Issue Linked To Schizophrenia

Txchnologist

New Study Shows How High Speed Rail Improves The Quality Of Urban Life

Txchnologist

Cops Have An Amazing New Tool To Stop Cars That Blow Through Checkpoints

Txchnologist

6 Futuristic Construction Materials That Will Change The Way We Build Stuff

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