Podcasts about beckman institute

This episode features Dr. Sepideh Sadaghiani directing the CONNECTlab at Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Sadaghiani's lab explores large-scale brain networks, focusing on cognitive control, attention, and spontaneous neural activity. Using fMRI, EEG, and genetics, they uncover how brain connectivity shapes perception and behavior. Tune in for cutting-edge insights into the brain's dynamic communication.Episode ProducersOmer Faruk GulbanKarthik Sama

What if we could harness everyday surroundings, such as our homes and workplaces, to actively monitor and improve wellbeing? Dr. Deana McDonagh, Professor and founder of the (dis)Ability Design Studio at the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, envisions a future that includes personalized medication and nutrition in wellness-centered home environments. Her work focuses on evolving the notion of "disability" and instead emphasizes designing for diverse abilities. As a visionary industrial designer, she shares the importance of experiential learning to cultivate empathy in creating a more inclusive and emotionally sustainable future with Health2049 co-host Bisi Williams.Deana McDonaghLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deana-mcdonagh-8393a71/ Connect with Health2049:Website: https://www.health2049.comFind the complete Show Notes and Transcripts Here -> https://bit.ly/Deana-McDonaghTimestamps:Dr. Deana McDonagh's background. [3:10]Implementing empathy into industrial design. [4:20]A view of future wellness in our homes. [5:31]Clothing can contribute to wellness. [08:46]Designing for ability instead of disability. [10:13]Disruptive, innovative product design. [12:40]Design that builds in emotional sustainability. [16:37]What is emotional sustainability? [19:30]Beauty in design for marginalized people. [23:21]The design of the future home. [24:36]Experiential design practices. [28:36]

From social media disinformation and phishing emails to grand-scale scams such as multimillion-dollar counterfeit art, Ponzi schemes or scientific fraud, our world is full of deceptions.Surprisingly, it is our own intuition that can be our worst enemy. The tendency to blindly accept what we already believe in or trust what sounds too good to be true leaves us vulnerable to deception. So how do we find the right balance between blind trust and constant skepticism?Daniel Simons is an experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, and the co-author of several books. His latest book, Nobody's Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It, explores how our instincts lead us to fall prey to scams and how to spot deceptions. Daniel and Greg discuss how our limited attention resources result in a focus on specific tasks and potential neglect of other crucial elements, and how personally appealing information can easily lead us down the wrong path. They also talk about the need to parse the world more finely without succumbing to wholesale distrust by evaluating our assumptions and posing challenging questions.*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:The problem with attention09:52: This is the general problem with attention. We tend to focus on one thing well and need to do that. We need to be able to filter out those distractions. So you want people looking for the thing that they're supposed to find, because most of the time, that's what you want them doing, right? You want them devoting their resources to the diagnosis that's most likely. It's just that every now and then, you're going to miss something that's sometimes rare and sometimes not what you're looking for.Looking at consistency in a different way23:48: We often take consistency as a sign of deep understanding and credibility when we really should be looking for noise and should take it as a red flag.How do you know what the optimal allocation of trust resources is?10:04: We have to trust, and we have to accept that what other people are telling us is true much of the time. Otherwise, you really couldn't function if you were perpetual, cynic and skeptic about everything. You couldn't get anywhere. You'd be checking the ingredients on every box of food you buy to make sure it truly is what it says it is. You couldn't function in society and be a perpetual skeptic. And there's going to be a spectrum of people who are going to be much more trusting and much less critical and skeptical, and others who are much more skeptical. But you have to find this happy medium.Considering how we can be deceived02:26: This book is more about how our patterns of thought and the information that we find appealing and attractive can lead us down the wrong path. (02:51) The problem for most of us is that we don't typically think about how we can be deceived. So in that sense, it's probably less likely to become a tool for scammers than for users and consumers. Show Links:Recommended Resources:Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. CialdiniThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanSelective Attention TestMax BazermanDon A. MooreDaniel KahnemanUri SimonsohnLeif NelsonDiederik StapelGuest Profile:Faculty Profile at University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignProfessional Profile on Psychology TodayDaniel Simons' WebsiteDaniel Simons on LinkedInDaniel Simons on TwitterDaniel Simons on YouTubeDaniel Simons on TEDxUIUCHis Work:Daniel Simons on Google ScholarNobody's Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do about It The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us

On April 27, we met with Kara Federmeier to talk about brain mechanisms of human semantic processing. We discussed the role of meaning in human language comprehension and production, in comparison to that of large language models like ChatGPT, which presumably do not know what they are saying. Guest: Kara Federmeier, Professor, Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience and The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois. Participating: Nicole Wicha, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA Antonio Allevato, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA Host: Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Dr. Kirk Erickson is Director of Translational Neuroscience and Mardian J. Blair Endowed Chair of Neuroscience at the AdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Erickson received his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was a post-doctoral scholar at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering. He was also a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh before starting at AdventHealth. Dr. Erickson's vast research program focuses on the effects of physical activity on brain health across the lifespan. This research has resulted in > 250 published articles and 15 book chapters. Dr. Erickson's research has been funded by numerous awards and grants from NIH, the Alzheimer's Association, and other organizations. He has been awarded a large multi-site Phase III clinical trial examining the impact of exercise on cognitive function in cognitively normal older adults. His research resulted in the prestigious Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award from the University of Pittsburgh. He was named a Fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research in 2016, and a Distinguished Scientist Award by Murdoch University in 2018. He currently holds a Visiting Professor appointment at the University of Granada, Spain. Dr. Erickson was a member of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, and chair of the Brain Health subcommittee charged with developing the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. His research has been featured in a long list of print, radio, and electronic media including the New York Times, CNN, BBC News, NPR, Time, and the Wall Street Journal.   This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | Better Sleep, Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Research with Less Hassle --- Learn more about Fibion Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Solutions: https://sleepmeasurements.fibion.com/ --- Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely - Discover ground-breaking Fibion SENS: https://sens.fibion.com/ --- SB and PA measurements, analysis, and feedback made easy.  Learn more about Fibion Research : fibion.com/research --- Fibion Kids - Activity tracking designed for children. https://fibionkids.fibion.com/ --- Collect self-report physical activity data easily and cost-effectively https://mimove.fibion.com/ --- Follow the podcast on Twitter https://twitter.com/PA_Researcher Follow host Dr Olli Tikkanen on Twitter https://twitter.com/ollitikkanen Follow Fibion on Twitter https://twitter.com/fibion https://www.youtube.com/@PA_Researcher

Dr. Kirk Erickson is Director of Translational Neuroscience and Mardian J. Blair Endowed Chair of Neuroscience at the AdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Erickson received his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was a post-doctoral scholar at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering. He was also a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh before starting at AdventHealth. Dr. Erickson's vast research program focuses on the effects of physical activity on brain health across the lifespan. This research has resulted in > 250 published articles and 15 book chapters. Dr. Erickson's research has been funded by numerous awards and grants from NIH, the Alzheimer's Association, and other organizations. He has been awarded a large multi-site Phase III clinical trial examining the impact of exercise on cognitive function in cognitively normal older adults. His research resulted in the prestigious Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award from the University of Pittsburgh. He was named a Fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research in 2016, and a Distinguished Scientist Award by Murdoch University in 2018. He currently holds a Visiting Professor appointment at the University of Granada, Spain. Dr. Erickson was a member of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, and chair of the Brain Health subcommittee charged with developing the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. His research has been featured in a long list of print, radio, and electronic media including the New York Times, CNN, BBC News, NPR, Time, and the Wall Street Journal.   This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | Better Sleep, Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Research with Less Hassle --- Learn more about Fibion Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Solutions: https://sleepmeasurements.fibion.com/ --- Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely - Discover ground-breaking Fibion SENS: https://sens.fibion.com/ --- SB and PA measurements, analysis, and feedback made easy.  Learn more about Fibion Research : fibion.com/research --- Fibion Kids - Activity tracking designed for children. https://fibionkids.fibion.com/ --- Collect self-report physical activity data easily and cost-effectively https://mimove.fibion.com/ --- Follow the podcast on Twitter https://twitter.com/PA_Researcher Follow host Dr Olli Tikkanen on Twitter https://twitter.com/ollitikkanen Follow Fibion on Twitter https://twitter.com/fibion https://www.youtube.com/@PA_Researcher

Study links nutrients in blood to better brain connectivity, cognition in older adults University of Illinois, December 20, 2022 A new study links higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood with more efficient brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tests in older adults. The study, reported in the journal NeuroImage, looked at 32 key nutrients in the Mediterranean diet, which previous research has shown is associated with better brain function in aging. It included 116 healthy adults 65-75 years of age. "We wanted to investigate whether diet and nutrition predict cognitive performance in healthy older adults," said University of Illinois postdoctoral researcher Christopher Zwilling, who led the study with U. of I. psychology professor Aron Barbey in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The analysis linked specific patterns of a handful of nutrient biomarkers in the blood to better brain health and cognition. The nutrient patterns included omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in fish, walnuts and Brussels sprouts; omega-6 fatty acids, found in flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and pistachios; lycopene, a vivid red pigment in tomatoes, watermelon and a few other fruits and vegetables; alpha- and beta-carotenoids, which give sweet potatoes and carrots their characteristic orange color; and vitamins B and D. The researchers relied on some of the most rigorous methods available for examining nutrient intake and brain health, Barbey said. Rather than asking participants to answer food-intake surveys, which require the accurate recall of what and how much participants ate, the team looked for patterns of nutrient "biomarkers" in the blood. The team also used functional magnetic resonance imaging to carefully evaluate the efficiency with which various brain networks performed. The analysis found a robust link between higher levels of several nutrient biomarkers in the blood and enhanced performance on specific cognitive tests. These nutrients, which appeared to work synergistically, included omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, carotenoids, lycopene, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. The analysis also revealed that a pattern of omega-3s, omega-6s and carotene was linked to better functional brain network efficiency. Different nutrient patterns appeared to moderate the efficiency in different brain networks. For example, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids paralleled the positive relationship between a healthy frontoparietal network and general intelligence. The frontoparietal network supports the ability to focus attention and engage in goal-directed behavior. "Our study suggests that diet and nutrition moderate the association between network efficiency and cognitive performance," Barbey said. "This means that the strength of the association between functional brain network efficiency and cognitive performance is associated with the level of the nutrients." (NEXT) Sunlight offers surprise benefit -- it energizes infection fighting T cells Georgetown University Medical Center, December 20, 2022 Sunlight allows us to make vitamin D, credited with healthier living, but a surprise research finding could reveal another powerful benefit of getting some sun. Georgetown University Medical Center researchers have found that sunlight, through a mechanism separate than vitamin D production, energizes T cells that play a central role in human immunity. Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest how the skin, the body's largest organ, stays alert to the many microbes that can nest there. "We all know sunlight provides vitamin D, which is suggested to have an impact on immunity, among other things. But what we found is a completely separate role of sunlight on immunity," says the study's senior investigator, Gerard Ahern, PhD, associate professor in the Georgetown's Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. "Some of the roles attributed to vitamin D on immunity may be due to this new mechanism." They specifically found that low levels of blue light, found in sun rays, makes T cells move faster -- marking the first reported human cell responding to sunlight by speeding its pace. "T cells, whether they are helper or killer, need to move to do their work, which is to get to the site of an infection and orchestrate a response," Ahern says. "This study shows that sunlight directly activates key immune cells by increasing their movement." Ahern also added that while production of vitamin D required UV light, which can promote skin cancer and melanoma, blue light from the sun, as well as from special lamps, is safer. And while the human and T cells they studied in the laboratory were not specifically skin T cells -- they were isolated from mouse cell culture and from human blood -- the skin has a large share of T cells in humans, he says, approximately twice the number circulating in the blood. What drove the motility response in T cells was synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, which then activated a signaling pathway that increases T cell movement. Hydrogen peroxide is a compound that white blood cells release when they sense an infection in order to kill bacteria and to "call" T cells and other immune cells to mount an immune response. "We found that sunlight makes hydrogen peroxide in T cells, which makes the cells move. And we know that an immune response also uses hydrogen peroxide to make T cells move to the damage," Ahern says. "This all fits together." (NEXT)  Capsaicin molecule inhibits growth of breast cancer cells Centre of Genomics, Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany), December 22, 2022  Capsaicin, an active ingredient of pungent substances such as chilli or pepper, inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells. This was reported by a team headed by the Bochum-based scent researcher Prof Dr Dr Dr habil Hanns Hatt and Dr Lea Weber, following experiments in cultivated tumour cells. The experiments were carried out with the SUM149PT cell culture, a model system for a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer, i.e. the triple-negative type. Chemotherapy is currently the only available treatment for this type of cancer. In the cultivated cells, the team detected a number of typical olfactory receptors. One receptor occurred very frequently; it is usually found in the fifth cranial nerve, i.e. the trigeminal nerve. It belongs to the so-called Transient Receptor Potential Channels and is named TRPV1. That receptor is activated by the spicy molecule capsaicin as well as by helional – a scent of fresh sea breeze. In collaboration with Dr Gabriele Bonatz from the Augusta clinics in Bochum (Brustzentrum), Hatt's team confirmed the existence of TRPV1 in tumour cells in nine different samples from patients suffering from breast cancer. The researchers activated the TRPV1 receptor in the cell culture with capsaicin or helional, by adding the substances to the culture for a period of several hours or days. As a result, the cancer cells divide more slowly. Moreover, the treatment caused tumour cells to die in larger numbers. The surviving cells were no longer able to move as quickly as heretofore; this implies that their ability to form metastases in the body was impeded. Earlier studies had demonstrated that the chemical arvanil – with a chemical make-up similar to that of the spicy molecule capsaicin – was effective against brain tumours in mice; it reduces tumour growth in the animals. Due to its side effects, however, this substance is not approved for humans. In addition to capsaicin and helional, the endovanilloids, produced naturally in the body, also activate the TRPV1 receptor. (NEXT)  Losing body fat could be facilitated by light evening exercise and fasting Baylor College of Medicine, December 20, 2022 Making muscles burn more fat and less glucose can increase exercise endurance, but could simultaneously cause diabetes, says a team of scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions. Mouse muscles use glucose (carbohydrate) as fuel when the animals are awake and active and switch to fat (lipid) when they are asleep. The team discovered that disrupting this natural cycle may lead to diabetes but, surprisingly, can also enhance exercise endurance. The switch is controlled by a molecule called histone deacetylase 3, or HDAC3. This finding opens the possibility of selecting the right time to exercise for losing body fat but also raises the concern of using HDAC inhibitors as doping drugs for endurance exercise. The study appears in Nature Medicine. Skeletal muscles, the voluntary muscles, are important in the control of blood glucose in the body. They consume most of the glucose, and if they develop insulin resistance and consequently are not able to use glucose, then diabetes likely will develop. To study the role of HDAC3 in mouse skeletal muscle, Sun and colleagues genetically engineered laboratory mice to deplete HDAC3 only in the skeletal muscles. Then they compared these knocked out mice with normal mice regarding how their muscles burn fuel. When normal mice eat, their blood sugar increases and insulin is released, which stimulates muscles to take in and use glucose as fuel. "When the knocked out mice ate, their blood sugar increased and insulin was released just fine, but their muscles refused to take in and use glucose," said Sun. "Lacking HDAC3 made the mice insulin resistant and more prone to develop diabetes." Yet, when the HDAC3-knocked out mice ran on a treadmill, they showed superior endurance, "which was intriguing because diabetes is usually associated with poor muscle performance," said Sun. "Glucose is the main fuel of muscle, so if a condition limits the use of glucose, the expectation is low performance in endurance exercises. That's the surprise." The researchers then studied what fueled the HDAC3-knocked out mice's stellar performance using metabolomics approaches and found that their muscles break down more amino acids. This changed the muscles' preference from glucose to lipids and allowed them to burn lipid very efficiently. This explains the high endurance, because the body carries a much larger energy reservoir in the form of lipid than carbohydrate. The team performed a number of functional genomics studies that established the link between HDAC3 and the circadian clock. "In normal mice, when the mouse is awake, the clock in the muscle anticipates a feeding cycle and uses HDAC3 to turn off many metabolic genes. This leads the muscles to use more carbohydrate," said Sun. "When the animal is about to go to sleep and anticipates a fasting cycle, the clock removes HDAC3. This leads the muscles to use more lipid." Although these studies were done in mice, the researchers speculate that human muscles most likely will follow the same cycle. The study opens the possibility of promoting body fat burning by increasing exercise activity during the periods in which muscles use lipid, which is at night for people. "Losing body fat would be easier by exercising lightly and fasting at night," said Sun. "It's not a bad idea to take a walk after dinner." (NEXT)  Employees who are open about religion are happier, study suggests Kansas State University, December 17, 2022 It may be beneficial for employers to not only encourage office Christmas parties but also celebrate holidays and festivals from a variety of religions, according to a Kansas State University researcher. Sooyeol Kim was involved in a collaborative study that found that employees who openly discuss their religious beliefs at work are often happier and have higher job satisfaction than those employees who do not. "For many people, religion is the core of their lives," Kim said. "Being able to express important aspects of one's life can influence work-related issues, such as job satisfaction, work performance or engagement. It can be beneficial for organizations to have a climate that is welcoming to every religion and culture." Kim said employers might even want to consider a religion-friendly policy or find ways to encourage religious expression. For example, organizations could have an office Christmas party, but also could celebrate and recognize other religious holidays and dates, such as Hanukkah, Ramadan or Buddhist holidays. For the cross-cultural study, the researchers surveyed nearly 600 working adults from a variety of industries -- including education and finance -- in the U.S. and South Korea. The surveyed employees were all Christian, but identified with a variety of denominations, including Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist, among others. Results showed that employees who valued religion as a core part of their lives were more likely to disclose their religion in the workplace. Employees who felt pressure to assimilate in the workplace were less likely to disclose their religious identity, Kim said. But most significantly, the researchers found that the employees who disclosed their religion in the workplace had several positive outcomes, including higher job satisfaction and higher perceived well-being. "Disclosing your religion can be beneficial for employees and individual well-being," Kim said. "When you try to hide your identity, you have to pretend or you have to lie to others, which can be stressful and negatively impact how you build relationships with co-workers." Kim said the research on religion in the workplace plays a part into work-life balance. Research continues to show that individual characteristics -- such as family and religion -- can influence work-related issues. (NEXT) New Cannabis Capsule Is So Powerful It's Going To Completely Replace All Pain Killers University of Pennsylvania, December 19, 2022    In places where medical marijuana is legal, opioid abuse and addiction has fallen by 25%, but the government maintain they are stumped as to why Opioid abuse and addiction is a massive problem all over the US, hence why people are eager to find natural alternatives. The health benefits of cannabis are become more and more accepted in mainstream society, as more studies which support cannaboid use are published. This doesn't sit well with big pharma, who are desperate to hold on to the monopoly they control. In the U.S. states where medical marijuana is legal to use, deaths from opioid overdoses have decreased by almost 25 percent, according to a new data. The study was done by Bachhuber, of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues who used state-level death certificate data for all 50 states. According to JAMA Medicine, in states with a medical marijuana law, overdose deaths from opioids like morphine, oxycodone and heroin decreased by an average of 20 percent after just one year. After two years, they continued to decrease to 25 percent. In the mean time, opioid overdose deaths across the country skyrocketed. The cannabis capsules are made from the extract of cannabis flower. The active ingredients are processed without microbials and then packaged with a specific mix of 60 mg of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and 10 mg of CBD (cannabidiol). The combination together creates the perfect effect to relieve pain. The THC helps send happy feelings to the brain, while the CBD helps promote relaxation of the muscles. This helps reduce muscle spasms as well as inflammation.

Videos: Heather Mac Donald On How The Delusion of Diversity Destroys Our Common Humanity(11:02) This intense AI anger is exactly what experts warned of, w Elon Musk. (15:50) The FTX corruption is even worse than we thought | Redacted with Clayton Morris (13:00)   Almonds can help you cut calories University of South Australia, November 20, 2022 Weight loss is never an easy nut to crack, but a handful of almonds could keep extra kilos at bay according to new research from the University of South Australia. Examining how almonds can affect appetite, researchers found that a snack of 30-50 grams of almonds could help people cut back on the number of kilojoules they consume each day. Published in the European Journal of Nutrition, the study found that people who consumed almonds – as opposed to an energy-equivalent carbohydrate snack – lowered their energy intake by 300 kilojoules (most of which came from junk food) at the subsequent meal. “Our research examined the hormones that regulate appetite, and how nuts – specifically almonds – might contribute to appetite control. We found that people who ate almonds experienced changes in their appetite-regulating hormones, and that these may have contributed to reduced food intake (by 300kJ).” The study found that people who ate almonds had 47 per cent lower C-peptide responses (which can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease); and higher levels of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (18 per cent higher), glucagon (39 per cent higher), and pancreatic polypeptide responses (44 per cent higher). Glucagon sends satiety signals to the brain, while pancreatic polypeptide slows digestion which may reduce food intake, both encouraging weight loss. “Almonds are high in protein, fibre, and unsaturated fatty acids, which may contribute to their satiating properties and help explain why fewer kilojoules were consumed.” The findings of this study show that eating almonds produce small changes to people's energy intake, Dr Carter says this may have clinical effects in the long term. Probiotics help maintain a healthy microbiome when taken with antibiotics Texas Christian University, November 18 2022.  A systematic review published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology helps answer the question concerning whether probiotics should be taken along with antibiotics to support gut health.  Although probiotics decrease the adverse gastrointestinal effects caused by antibiotics, their ability to preserve intestinal microbial composition that is negatively impacted by antibiotic therapy is not well understood.  “Like in a human community, we need people that have different professions because we don't all know how to do every single job,” she explained. “And so, the same happens with bacteria. We need lots of different gut bacteria that know how to do different things.” While it is well known that antibiotics destroy some beneficial intestinal microorganisms, some healthcare professionals have expressed a concern that administering probiotics to antibiotic-treated patients could further alter the established gut microbe balance. The review included 29 studies published during a 7-year period. The authors concluded that consuming probiotics with antibiotics can prevent or reduce some changes caused by antibiotics to the microbiome. “When participants take antibiotics, we see several consistent changes in some bacterial species,” Dr Marroquin observed. “But when treatment was combined with probiotics, the majority of those changes were less pronounced and some changes were completely prevented.” New study shows repeated stress accelerates aging of the eye University of California, Irvine, November 21, 2022 New research from the University of California, Irvine, suggests aging is an important component of retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma, and that novel pathways can be targeted when designing new treatments for glaucoma patients. The study was published today in Aging Cell. Along with her colleagues, Dorota Skowronska‐Krawczyk, Ph.D., at the UCI School of Medicine, describes the transcriptional and epigenetic changes happening in aging retina.  The team shows how stress, such as intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation in the eye, causes retinal tissue to undergo epigenetic and transcriptional changes similar to natural aging. And, how in young retinal tissue, repetitive stress induces features of accelerated aging including the accelerated epigenetic age. Aging is a universal process that affects all cells in an organism. In the eye, it is a major risk factor for a group of neuropathies called glaucoma. Because of the increase in aging populations worldwide, current estimates show that the number of people with glaucoma (aged 40-80) will increase to over 110 million in 2040. In humans, IOP has a circadian rhythm. In healthy individuals, it oscillates typically in the 12-21 mmHg range and tends to be highest in approximately two thirds of individuals during the nocturnal period. Due to IOP fluctuations, a single IOP measurement is often insufficient to characterize the real pathology and risk of disease progression in glaucoma patients.  Long-term IOP fluctuation has been reported to be a strong predictor for glaucoma progression. This new study suggests that the cumulative impact of the fluctuations of IOP is directly responsible for the aging of the tissue. Researchers now have a new tool to estimate the impact of stress and treatment on the aging status of retinal tissue, which has made these new discoveries possible. In collaboration with the Clock Foundation and Steve Horvath, Ph.D., from Altos Labs, who pioneered the development of epigenetic clocks that can measure age based on methylation changes in the DNA of tissues, it was possible for researchers to show that repetitive, mild IOP elevation can accelerate epigenetic age of the tissues. What do people experience at the border between life and death? University of London & New York University, November 20, 2022 A new study on near-death experiences featured 567 men and women whose hearts stopped while hospitalized in the United States and the United Kingdom. Out of 28 survivors of cardiac arrest interviewed as part of the study, 11 recalled memories suggesting consciousness while undergoing CPR.  Additional cardiac arrest survivors provided self-reports about what they experienced while their hearts stopped. Reports included perceiving separating from their bodies and meaningful examinations of their lives.  Researchers discovered spikes of brain activity up to an hour into CPR.  Dr. Parnia, who served as lead investigator of the study, explained that he and the other researchers undertook this research in an attempt to scientifically explore something that health professionals have discussed anecdotally for decades: The similar stories people revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) often tell about the time when their hearts stopped. “For decades now, millions of people who've gone through this have reported having lucid heightened consciousness, even though from the perspective of their doctors they were not conscious and they were in death,” Dr. Parnia told MNT. The study centered around 567 men and women who received CPR after their hearts stopped beating while at one of 25 participating hospitals in the United States and the United Kingdom.  When health practitioners began CPR on a patient whose heart stopped, researchers rushed to the scene, bringing along a portable electroencephalogram, or EEG, to monitor electrical activity in different parts of the brain, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure oxygen saturation of superficial brain cortex regions. Taking care not to get in the way of health practitioners performing CPR, researchers also clamped a tablet computer above the patient's head. The tablet was connected to Bluetooth headphones which were placed on the patient's ears. Of 567 subjects, 213 or about 38% experienced sustained return of spontaneous circulation, meaning their pulse was restored for 20 minutes or longer. Only 53, or fewer than 10% of the participants, lived to be discharged from the hospital. Of those 53, 25 were unable to be interviewed by researchers due to poor health. The remaining 28 participants were interviewed 2 to 4 weeks after cardiac arrest depending on their recovery.  Of the 28 participants interviewed, 11 — or 39% — reported having memories during cardiac arrest. Two of the 28 participants could hear the medical staff working while receiving CPR. One participant recalled seeing the medical staff working and could feel someone rubbing his chest.  Using the near-death scale, six participants had transcendent experiences. Three participants reported dream-like experiences, which included a singing fisherman.  Six of the 28 participants interviewed remembered the experience of dying. These recollections included one person who heard a deceased grandmother telling her to return to her body.  “We characterize the testimonies that people had and were able to identify that there is a unique recalled experience of death that is different to other experiences that people may have in the hospital or elsewhere,” Dr. Parnia said, “and that these are not hallucinations, they are not illusions, they are not delusions, they are real experiences that emerge when you die.” Fifty-three participants had interpretable EEG data. Researchers discovered spikes of brain activity, including so-called gamma, delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves emerging up to 60 minutes into CPR. Some of these brain waves normally occur when people are conscious and performing functions like memory retrieval and thinking. According to the researchers, this is the first time such biomarkers of consciousness have been identified during CPR for cardiac arrest.  “We found the brain electrical markers of heightened […] lucid consciousness, the same markers as you get in people who are having memory retrievals who are having […] high order cognitive processes, except that this was occurring when the brain had shut down. Research suggests agmatine can boost brain health and uplift your mood naturally Yonsei University College of Medicine (S Korea), October 28, 2022. Athletes and bodybuilders are always eager to learn more about new products that can help enhance their workouts by promoting strength and stamina. Agmatine, a natural compound, is often used by health enthusiasts as a pre-workout supplement. According to research, agmatine can also potentially be used to boost brain health and improve mood. In one scientific review, researchers suggest that the compound can help prevent neurodegenerative diseases and assist in the recovery of brain injury patients. Agmatine or 4-aminobutyl-guanidine is produced in your body from arginine, an amino acid found in foods like chickpeas, lentils, pork and poultry. When used as a pre-workout supplement, experts recommend not taking it with protein since dietary protein can slow the absorption of agmatine. This then diminishes its benefits. Agmatine is often listed on supplement labels as agmatine sulfate. Dosages range between 250 mg to 1,000 mg per scoop, with intake recommendations between one to two grams per day. Agmatine has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and can scavenge harmful free radicals that cause oxidative damage to your organs and tissues. Some people believe agmatine can help enhance workouts by increasing levels of beneficial nitric oxide. This then dilates blood vessels and promotes healthy circulation. Data also suggests that agmatine may help activate the release of pain-killing, mood-lifting endorphins, which can boost motivation and mood. This suggests taking agmatine can help make you feel more inclined to exercise. The compound may also help block aged glycation end products. Your body produces these potentially carcinogenic compounds after you eat charcoal-broiled or well-done meats. Agmatine may also help down-regulate matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are tissue-degrading enzymes that can facilitate the spread of malignant tumors.  Studies show that agmatine works against the glutamate receptors that affect pain perception. Data from preliminary studies have supported agmatine's ability to reduce pain and strengthen the pain-killing effects of prescription opioids. Experts hope that agmatine can be used to help reduce the amount of medications needed and decrease the possibility of addiction to opioids. Supplementation with agmatine may help activate serotonin, the “feel good” chemical in your body while also decreasing levels of cortisol, the “stress” hormone that builds up when you are under duress. In a review published in the European Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, scientists suggest that agmatine has antidepressant effects. According to a 2018 study published in the journal Human and Experimental Toxicology, agmatine can help protect brain cells from oxidative stress and inflammation caused by laboratory-induced Parkinson's. Prenatal phthalate exposure can significantly impact infant behavior and cognition, says study University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, November 16, 2022 Prenatal exposure to phthalates, a set of chemicals commonly found in plastics and personal care products, has been shown to significantly impact aspects of behavior and cognition in infants, according to a team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Phthalates are widespread, and several well-known studies have reported that 100% of pregnant individuals had detectable levels of phthalates in their bodies,” said developmental neurotoxicologist Jenna Sprowles, a former postdoctoral research associate at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Children's toys, cosmetics, and constructional materials are all potential sources of phthalate exposure, as are other materials made from polyvinyl chloride. When individuals who are pregnant are exposed to phthalates, the chemical compound crosses the placental barrier to interact directly with the fetus. Phthalates can also be transferred to a newborn through breast milk. Their study, reported in the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology, investigated the neurobehavioral impacts of prenatal phthalate exposure in infants aged 4.5 and 7.5 months. Since many existing studies focus on individuals in early and middle childhood, providing attention to this age group is especially important. “Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, meaning they interact with and alter how hormones typically act in the body. Hormones play crucial roles in brain development, so when the activities of hormones are altered by chemicals like phthalates, adverse functional effects are possible,” Sprowles said. “While we do know that different phthalates can affect different hormone systems, we don't yet know exactly how particular phthalates exert their specific effects.” The researchers found that the impact of prenatal phthalate exposure was specific to each phthalate's particular properties. For example, higher prenatal concentrations of a phthalate called MEP, which is commonly found in personal care products, were associated with lower ASQ scores (indicating below-average development) in certain domains. Their results align with existing studies, some of which have been carried out in animal models, which indicate that both prenatal and neonatal exposure to phthalates alters neural structure and function, resulting in impaired cognition and altered behavior.

Kiel Christianson has taught at the university level in Germany, Japan, and the U.S. He is a two-time Fulbright Scholar, and conducted the first "field-psycholinguistics" study on syntactic processing in any indigenous North American language (Odawa). He is currently Director of the Educational Psychology Psycholinguistics Lab at the Beckman Institute, and Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology. Dr. Christianson studies syntactic parsing, sentence comprehension in reading and listening, reading, language production, bilingualism, and morphological processing. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/out-of-the-blank-podcast/support

SHR # 2874:: Link Between High Fat Diet and Cancer plus Building Inner Eco-System - Dr. Jefferson Chan, Ph.D. - Donna Gates, MEd - Researchers at the Beckman Institute deployed a molecular probe to demonstrate a direct link between a high-fat diet and heightened nitric oxide levels, which can lead to increased risk of inflammation and cancer development. PLUS Imagine taking pounds of organic seeds, biodynamic brown rice, and chickpeas -- each seed, grain or legume with its own unique ecosystem -- and fermenting them all together to create a diverse culture found nowhere else on Earth. So diverse, in fact, that there is no way to actually list or test all the many strains of bacteria in each batch. Visit http://shrnetwork.biz/bodyeco use code SHR20 for 20% off.

Majority of acne sufferers have diminished levels of omega-3 Ludwig-Maximilian University (Germany), May 16 2022.  A study reported during the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Spring Symposium suggests a protective role for omega-3 fatty acids against acne. The study revealed that 94% of 100 acne patients whose blood samples were analyzed for red blood cell omega-3 fatty acid levels had lower than the recommended concentrations. Higher omega-3 fatty acid levels were found among people who regularly consumed legumes and among those who supplemented with omega-3.  Omega-3 fatty acids lower inflammation that occurs in acne by stimulating anti-inflammatory eicosanoids and decreasing levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Patients with omega-3 fatty acids below the recommended levels had lower serum IGF-1 concentrations than patients who were not deficient in omega-3. Those with severe deficiencies had even greater levels of IGF-1. Nuts and peanuts may protect against major causes of death Maastricht University (Netherlands), May 11, 2022 A paper published in the International Journal of Epidemiology confirms a link between peanut and nut intake and lower mortality rates, but finds no protective effect for peanut butter. Men and women who eat at least 10 grams of nuts or peanuts per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who don't consume nuts or peanuts. The reduction in mortality was strongest for respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes, followed by cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The effects are equal in men and women. Peanuts show at least as strong reductions in mortality as tree nuts, but peanut butter is not associated with mortality, researchers from Maastricht University found. In this new study, it was found that mortality due to cancer, diabetes, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases was also lowered among users of peanuts and nuts. Project leader and epidemiologist Professor Piet van den Brandt commented: “It was remarkable that substantially lower mortality was already observed at consumption levels of 15 grams of nuts or peanuts on average per day (half a handful).  People more likely to trust, cooperate if they can tolerate ambiguity, study finds Brown University, May 12, 2022  Can a new colleague be trusted with confidential information? Will she be a cooperative team player on a critical upcoming project? Assessing someone's motives or intentions, which are often hidden, is difficult, and gauging how to behave toward others involves weighing possible outcomes and personal consequences. New research published in Nature Communications indicates that individuals who are tolerant of ambiguity—a kind of uncertainty in which the odds of an outcome are unknown—are more likely to cooperate with and trust other people. Tolerance of ambiguity is distinct from tolerance of risk. With risk, the probability of each future outcome is known. The many unknowns inherent in social situations make them inherently ambiguous, and the study finds that attitudes toward ambiguity are a predictor of one's willingness to engage in potentially costly social behavior. Overall, being able to tolerate ambiguity predicted greater prosocial behavior, which prioritizes the welfare of other people and not just one's own self-benefit. By contrast, there was no association between risk tolerance and social decision-making. When subjects were allowed to gather information about others—through gossiping about, engaging with or observing another person, for instance—and reduce the amount of ambiguous uncertainty around their social choices, the link between ambiguity tolerance and willingness to trust disappeared, according to the study. High-fat diet linked to nitric oxide levels, cancer development Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, May 17, 2022 It has long been hypothesized that dietary habits can precede and even exacerbate the development of cancer. Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology proved that a direct link exists between the amount of fat included in one's diet and bodily levels of nitric oxide, a naturally occurring signaling molecule that is related to inflammation and cancer development. “Inflammation can play a significant role in this environment. Certain inflammatory response comes from highly processed foods, which are high in calories and high in fat. Yadav and coauthors are familiar with existing research linking increased nitric oxide levels to inflammation, and inflammation to cancer.  The researchers used the probe to design a diet study comparing the tumorigenicity of the breast-cancer-carrying mice on a high-fat diet (60% of calories coming from fat) with mice on a low-fat diet (10% of calories coming from fat) by measuring the nitric oxide levels in both groups. “As a result of the high-fat diet, we saw an increase in nitric oxide in the tumor microenvironment,” said Michael Lee, a lead coauthor on this study. “The implication of this is that the tumor microenvironment is a very complex system, and we really need to understand it to understand how cancer progression works. A lot of factors can go into this from diet to exercise—external factors that we don't really take into account that we should when we consider cancer treatments.” Blood pressure drugs EXPOSED for increasing the risk of pancreatic cancer in women  Baylor College of Medicine, May 12, 2022 Arguably, some blood pressure medications may be necessary and offer a benefit for those suffering with cardiovascular issues. But, of equal importance is, research out of the Baylor College of Medicine that has determined some of these drugs – like calcium channel blockers (CCBs) – can raise the risk of pancreatic cancer in menopausal women. CCBs work by preventing calcium from entering blood vessel walls and heart cells, reducing blood pressure and decreasing cardiac workload and stress. The study examined a large group of over 145,000 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative study between ages 50 and 79 years old. By 2014, over 800 had developed pancreatic cancer, with elevated risk among those taking a short-acting CCB. WARNING: Blood pressure drugs can double the risk of pancreatic cancer Of the participants, those who had taken a CCB (short-acting calcium channel blocker) had a 66 percent increased chance of getting pancreatic cancer. Those who took short-acting CCBs (as compared with other blood pressure drug types) for over three years had a doubled risk of pancreatic cancer. The drugs in question include short-acting nifedipine, brand names Adalat CC nicardipine (Cardene IV), Procardia and diltiazem (Cardizem). The short-acting varieties of blood pressure drugs were the only ones linked to higher pancreatic cancer risk; other types did not seem to increase the risk Heightened dream recall ability linked to increased creativity and functional brain connectivity University of California, Berkeley, May 14, 2022 People who can frequently recall their dreams tend to be more creative and exhibit increased functional connectivity in a key brain network, according to new research published in the journal Nature and Science of Sleep. The findings provide new insights into the neurophysiological correlates of dreaming. “I think that dreaming is one of the last frontiers of human cognition — a terra incognita of the mind if you will,” said study author Raphael Vallat, at the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. “Although we all spend a significant amount of our lives dreaming, there are still so many basic research questions related to dreams that are unanswered, which obviously makes it such a fascinating topic to study! For his new study, Vallat and his colleagues used brain imaging techniques to examine whether neurophysiological differences exist between individuals who frequently recall their dreams and those who do not. The researchers found that high dream recallers and low dream recallers had similar personalities, levels of anxiety, sleep quality, and memory abilities. However, high dream recallers scored significantly higher than low dream recallers, indicating that they had greater creative abilities. Vallat and his colleagues also observed increased functional connectivity within the default mode network in high dream recallers compared to low dream recallers. The brain network “is known to be active during day-dreaming, mind-wandering (e.g. getting lost in your thoughts), and has been further suggested to promote creativity and dreaming,” Vallat explained. The increased connectivity was specifically found between the medial prefrontal cortex and the temporo-parietal junction, in line with clinical reports that have shown lesions to these brain regions result in a cessation of dream recall. Video : 1. This pandemic treaty is the greatest power grab any of us has seen in our lifetime – Neil Oliver (8:35)  2. Theresa Long MD, MPH, FS Opinion on Vaccines Expert Panel on Federal Vaccine (start @ 0:04) 3.  Douglas Kruger –  “You will OWN NOTHING, and you will be HAPPY” (start @ 0:47) (interview with Douglas Kruger conducted by David Ansara of The Centre For Risk Analysis (CRA) 4. Elizabeth Question

CROSSOVER EPISODE! When approached by Roxana Girju, professor of linguistics (and more, see below), requesting an interview for her podcast about the Metaverse, Robby thought, “Let's kill two virtual birds with one grey oblong NFT!” In other words, the interview is being cross-posted and Robby finally gets to blah blah blah on his own podcast! Seriously though, this was a great opportunity to synthesize some of the amazing lessons learned from the previous SPARTIE-Cast guests combined with some personal explorations into the Metaverse Robby has done recently with friend and colleague Dar Meshi (@darmeshi). During this interview, Robby's explains his understanding of what the Metaverse and Web 3.0 are, how they relate to virtual/augmented reality technologies, how the technological infrastructure is and will be governed, what societal benefits and concerns are on the horizon, how Facebook, Epic (Fortnite), and other major companies will operate in this space and how the SPARTIE-Lab's research relates to this impending brave new world. And huge thanks to Dr. Girju for conducting the interview!About this week's guest: Roxana Girju is a podcast host, professor of linguistics, computer science affiliate and part-time faculty member of the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is the co-founder and former director of the successful joint CS+Linguistics undergraduate​ program. Located at the intersection of language – technology – society, Dr. Girju's research interests are in designing, building and testing artificial intelligence systems that use language in order to facilitate successful human–human and human–computer communication. She is a longstanding supporter of the integration of STEM with the broader fields of humanities, social sciences and the arts, integration that would benefit the next generation of human language technologies.This episode is cross-posted with Dr. Girju's own podcast, Creative Language Technologies. You can check out her other episodes on any of the major podcast platforms but also here:  https://player.fm/series/creative-language-technologiesTake the SPARTIE-Cast survey and let us know what you think of the podcast!Want to live stream or video chat with your own avatar? Try Animaze for free! And if you want to subscribe, use code “spartielab” at checkout for 50% off all subscriptions. The free-to-use software is available on Steam and the Apple App Store. Code expires January 1, 2022. Thank you Animaze for sponsoring this episode!About the SPARTIE Lab:The Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab performs research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how the use of media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influences meaningful outcomes (e.g., education, health/safety, persuasion).The SPARTIE Lab is part of the greater academic community at the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. More information on the lab's research projects, staff, and work can be found on the SPARTIE Lab website.About the host:Dr. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan, Ph. D., is an associate professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University's Department of Media and Information and is the director of the SPARTIE Lab.He is also an affiliated faculty member of the MSU Department of Psychology, the MSU College of Education's program in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, and the MSU Center for Gender in a Global Context. Ratan received his Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, his M.A. in Communication from Stanford University, and his B.A. in Science, Technology and Society, also from Stanford University.Dr. Ratan conducts research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., persuasion, education, health/safety).  He is particularly interested in the Proteus effect, media-rich transportation contexts, perceptions of media as self-representations and/or social others, avatarification for health and education, and gender stereotypes in gaming contexts.Dr. Ratan lives near Lansing with his family. More information on his work can be found on his website.

Limited bus service today, Illinois National Guard deployed in Louisiana, MRI exhibit opens at Beckman Institute, the Illini face off against the University of Texas-San Antonio, and more. Hosted by Emily Crawford Stories by Anne McKeown, Kayla Misch, Tara Mobasher, Josie Alameda, and Jane Knight Music by Boxout Support this podcast

Research suggests quercetin can alleviate pulmonary arterial hypertension by regulating inflammatory cytokines Zhejiang Provincial People’ s Hospital (China), April 9, 2021   According to news reporting originating in Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “This study aimed to investigate the effects of quercetin in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a murine model. Thirty-six adult male rats were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (saline), monocrotaline (MCT) - induced PAH group (MCT group) and quercetin treatment group (prevention group).” The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Zhejiang Provincial People’ s Hospital, “After modelling, the animals from prevention group received 100 mg/(kg bw/day quercetin by gavage and the gavage for 20 days, while the animals from the other two groups received the same amount of 0.9% sodium chloride saline solution. The mean pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular index and relative expression levels of HIF-1 (hypoxia-inducible factor 1), ET-1(vascular endothelin-1), TGF-beta 1 (transforming growth factor-beta 1), VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), IL-1 (interleukin-1), IL-6 (interleukin-6) and TNF-alpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha) in lung tissues significantly increased in MCT group compared with the control group, 21 days after modelling. The levels of HGF (hepatocyte growth factor) and NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) significantly increased compared with the control group. The treatment with quercetin significantly decreased the level of mean PAH, right ventricular index and relative expression levels of H1F-1, ET-1, TGF-beta 1, VEGF, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in lung tissues compared with MCT group and significantly decreased the levels of HGF and NAC. In vitro experiment with PCEC (pulmonary capillary endothelial cells) from the three groups showed that in the MCT group the cell proliferation was significantly decreased and the apoptosis was significantly increased compared with the control group, while the quercetin treatment inhibited the MCT-induced cell apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation.” According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Quercetin can alleviate PAH by regulating the inflammatory cytokines, promoting cell proliferation and inhibition of cell apoptosis.” This research has been peer-reviewed.       Intermittent fasting shown to provide broad range of health benefits in new study Texas State University, April 7, 2021 Intermittent fasting may provide significant health benefits, including improved cardiometabolic health, improved blood chemistry and reduced risk for diabetes, new research conducted in part at Texas State University indicates.  Matthew McAllister, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, co-authored the study with Liliana Renteria, graduate research assistant in the Department of Health and Human Performance, along with Brandon Pigg and Hunter Waldman of the Department of Kinesiology at Mississippi State University. Their research, "Time-restricted feeding improves markers of Cardiometabolic health in physically active college-age men: A 4-week randomized pre-post pilot study," is published in the journal Nutrition Research (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2019.12.001). "What we are doing is time-restricted feeding. It is a way to use fasting each day to promote various aspects of cardiometabolic health," McAllister said.  Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has been shown to improve body composition and blood lipids, as well as reduce markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. However, those results originated from rodent models and studies with small human samples. In the Texas State study, 22 men were divided into two groups to complete a 28-day study. Subjects ate daily during one eight-hour period, for example, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or between noon and 8 p.m. For 16 hours of the day, they did not eat or drink anything other than water.  While both groups underwent TRF, one group's caloric intake was controlled during meal periods to ensure they ate the same amount as before the study, while members of the other group were allowed to eat as much as they wanted.  "My initial thought was that if you are going to restrict the time, you would eat fewer calories. And the reduction of daily calories would cause weight loss and other health benefits," McAllister said. "But these benefits are found with no change in caloric intake—things like loss in body fat, reduced blood pressure, reduced inflammation.” Fasting blood samples were analyzed for glucose and lipids, as well as adiponectin, human growth hormone, insulin, cortisol, c-reactive protein, superoxide dismutase, total nitrate/nitrite and glutathione. Results showed that both groups experienced significant reductions in body fat, blood pressure and significant increases in adiponectin and HDL-c. No change in caloric intake was detected among members of either group.     The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked with six unhealthy eating behaviors University of Minnesota Medical School, April 12, 2021 A new probe into the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed correlations to six unhealthy eating behaviors, according to a study by the University of Minnesota Medical School and School of Public Health. Researchers say the most concerning finding indicates a slight increase or the re-emergence of eating disorders, which kill roughly 10,200 people every year -- about one person every 52 minutes. U of M Medical School's Melissa Simone, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, collaborated with School of Public Health professor and head of the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, to learn from study participants in Neumark-Sztainer's Project EATbetween April and May 2020. "The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the rapid implementation of public health policies to reduce transmission of the virus. While these protections are necessary, the disruptions to daily life associated with the ongoing pandemic may have significant negative consequences for the risk of eating disorders and symptoms," said Simone, who is the lead author of the study. "Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates across all psychiatric health concerns, and therefore, it is important to try to make links between the consequences of the pandemic and disordered eating behaviors. The study aimed to understand potential associations between stress, psychological distress, financial difficulties and changes in eating behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic through the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Simone's findings, published in theInternational Journal of Eating Disorders, found six key themes of eating behavior changes: Mindless eating and snacking; Increased food consumption; Generalized decrease in appetite or dietary intake; Eating to cope; Pandemic-related reductions in dietary intake; And, a re-emergence or marked increase in eating disorder symptoms. Approximately 8% of those studied reported extreme unhealthy weight control behaviors, 53% had less extreme unhealthy weight control behaviors and 14% reported binge eating. The study revealed that these outcomes were significantly associated with poorer stress management, greater depressive symptoms and moderate or extreme financial difficulties. "There has been a lot of focus on obesity and its connection with COVID-19. It is also important to focus on the large number of people who have been engaging in disordered eating and are at risk for eating disorders during and following the pandemic," said Neumark-Sztainer, who is the principal investigator of Project EAT. "The majority of the young adults in our study are from diverse ethnic/racial and lower income backgrounds, who often do not receive the services they need. To ensure health inequities do not increase, we need to meet the needs of these populations." Simone added, "The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will likely persist long beyond the dissemination of a vaccine. Because our findings suggest that moderate or severe financial difficulties may be linked with disordered eating behaviors, it is essential that eating disorder preventive interventions and treatment efforts be affordable, easily accessible and widely disseminated to those at heightened risk. As such, online or mobile-based interventions may prove to be effective and accessible modes for targeted intervention efforts." This study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL116892, R35HL139853: Principal Investigator: D. Neumark-Sztainer), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (TL1R002493, UL1TR002494), and the National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH082761).     Ginseng and anti-obesity: Does Asian variety offer greater weight loss hope? Tennessee State University, April 5, 2021   Studies comparing the differing anti-obesity effects of Asian and American ginseng are urgently needed, it has been claimed, not least because they are thought to have opposite medical effects in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).   Writing in a review in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, scientists from Tennessee State University said a number of investigations had been conducted on ginseng in preventing and treating of obesity.   However, the effect and the relevant mechanisms behind how ginseng works as an anti-obesity treatment are still controversial, they added, and the issue is clouded by the differing uses of American and Asian ginseng in TCM.   The former is used to treat yin manifestations of Qi (life energy), while the latter tackle yang manifestations. Therefore, Asian ginseng has often been used to help treat, fatigue, poor appetite, diarrhoea, breath shortness, feeble pulse, spontaneous perspiration, febrile diseases, amnesia, insomnia and impotence.   On the other hand, American ginseng is used to treat diseases such as cough, blood sputum, dysphoria, fatigue and thirst.   “Although the potential anti-obesity effect of Asian ginseng has been investigated in mice and humans in Asia in the last several decades, the anti-obesity effect and mechanism of ginseng are still not fully understood, especially in humans,” wrote the researchers. “Moreover, high-quality studies of the effects of ginseng in the United States are rare, particularly whether and how American ginseng prevents obesity is almost blank.”   They said this was area ripe for further investigation, and pointed to their own unpublished data which showed that while Asian ginseng significantly inhibited fat accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells, American ginseng has no such effect at the same concentration (1 mg/ml). They suggest this could be due increased fat accumulation caused by one of the major ginsenosides in American ginseng that is not detectable in Asian ginseng     “The different anti-obesity effect between American ginseng and Asian ginseng may also result from the different profiles of other ginsenosides,” they added.   “There is only one study showing that Asian ginseng extract intake exerted a weight loss effect in obese women,” they wrote. “American ginseng extract or whole plant/berry has not been investigated for anti-obesity in humans. In addition, there is no report using human primary cells investigating the antiobesity effect of ginseng and ginsenosides.”   They argue that standardised ginseng production is sorely needed to overcome the fact that the results of existing studies “are controversial”.   “These controversial results at least partly come from the variety of the quality of ginseng, especially the whole extract and juice. The quantity and composition of ginsenosides in ginseng plants are dramatically influenced by species, age, and part of the plant, cultivation methods, harvesting season, preservation methods and geographical distribution,” they state. “However, almost all ginsenosides or extracts in these studies were prepared in the individual labs or from different companies, it is almost impossible to keep the quality at the same level, particularly the whole extract.”   The authors concluded; “Although Asian and American ginsengs have similar profiles of active ingredients, the different percentage of crude saponins (4.8%–5.2% in Asian ginseng vs. 7.0%–7.3% in American ginseng) and the specific ginsenoside (Rf only in Asian ginseng, F11 only in American ginseng) may contribute to the different functions of these two ginsengs.” “Therefore, it is very important to compare the medical effects using modern scientific approaches.”       Study links prenatal phthalate exposure to altered information processing in infants University of Illinois, April 6, 2021 Exposure to phthalates, a class of chemicals widely used in packaging and consumer products, is known to interfere with normal hormone function and development in human and animal studies. Now researchers have found evidence linking pregnant women's exposure to phthalates to altered cognitive outcomes in their infants. Most of the findings involved slower information processing among infants with higher phthalate exposure levels, with males more likely to be affected depending on the chemical involved and the order of information presented to the infants. Reported in the journal Neurotoxicology, the study is part of the Illinois Kids Development Study, which tracks the effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals on children's physical and behavioral development from birth to middle childhood. Now in its seventh year, IKIDS has enrolled hundreds of participants and is tracking chemical exposures in pregnant women and developmental outcomes in their children. Susan Schantz, a neurotoxicologist and professor emerita of comparative biosciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is the principal investigator of the study. She is a faculty member in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, which houses the IKIDS program at Illinois. "IKIDS is part of a larger initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program. It is tracking the impact of prenatal chemical exposures and maternal psychosocial stress on children's growth and development over time," Schantz said. "We measure numerous birth outcomes, including birth weight and gestational age. We also assess infants' cognition by studying their looking behavior. This allows us to get measures of working memory, attention and information-processing speed." The researchers analyzed metabolites of three commonly occurring phthalates in urine samples regularly collected from the pregnant women in the study. The chemical exposure data were used in combination with assessments of the women's infants when the children were 7.5 months old. The researchers used a well-established method that gives insight into the reasoning of children too young to express themselves verbally: Infants typically look longer at unfamiliar or unexpected images or events. The team used an infrared eye-tracker to follow each infant's gaze during several laboratory trials. With the infant sitting on a caregiver's lap, researchers first familiarized the child with two identical images of a face. After the infant learned to recognize the face, the researchers showed that same face paired with an unfamiliar one. "In repeated trials, half of the 244 infants tested saw one set of faces as familiar, and half learned to recognize a different set of faces as familiar," Schantz said. "By analyzing the time spent looking at the faces, we could determine both the speed with which the infants processed new information and assess their ability to pay attention." The assessment linked pregnant women's exposure to most of the phthalates that were assessed with slower information processing in their infants, but the outcome depended on the specific chemical, the sex of the infant and which set of faces the infant viewed as familiar. Male infants, in particular, tended to process information more slowly if their mothers had been exposed to higher concentrations of phthalates known to interfere with androgenic hormones. The specific characteristics of faces presented to the infants in the familiarization trials also appeared to play a role in the outcome, the researchers reported. Phthalate-exposed children who were first familiarized with faces from Set 2 were more likely to experience slower processing speed than those familiarized with faces from Set 1. The finding is perplexing, Schantz said, but is likely related to differences in the infants' preferences for the faces in the two sets. It also may be an indication that familiarization with the Set 2 faces is a more sensitive detector of changes in processing speed related to phthalate exposure. "Most previous studies of the relationship between prenatal exposure to phthalates and cognition have focused on early and middle childhood," Schantz said. "This new work suggests that some of these associations can be detected much earlier in a child's life."   Heart failure and stroke rising in men under 40 University of Gothenburg (Germany), April 8, 2021 Heart failure and stroke are unusual diagnoses among younger people. But they are now clearly on the rise in men below the age of 40, according to a University of Gothenburg study. The scientists have found links to obesity and low fitness in the upper teens. The present study, published in Journal of Internal Medicine, includes data on 1,258,432 men who, at an average age of 18.3 years, enlisted for military service in Sweden between 1971 and 1995. Particulars of the men's weight, height and physical fitness on enlistment were merged with data in the National Board of Health and Welfare's National Patient Register and Cause of Death Register for the period 1991-2016. From when they enlisted, the men were thus monitored over a period exceeding 20 years. The proportion of participants who were overweight at the time of enlistment, i.e. with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-30, increased from 6.6 to 11.2 percent between 1971 and 1995, while the proportion with obesity (BMI over 30) rose from 1.0 to 2.6 percent. During the same period, their fitness level at the time of enlistment also declined slightly. "These factors -- that is, overweight, obesity and low fitness -- partly explain the large increase in heart failure we see in the study, and the rise in stroke as well," states David Åberg. An Associate Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and specialist doctor at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Åberg is the study's first author. "It's pleasing to see, despite rising obesity, a fairly sharp fall in heart attacks among these younger men, and also their reduced mortality from cardiovascular diseases," he continues. Heart-failure cases within 21 years of enlistment rose, according to the study, by 69 percent -- from 0.49 per 1,000 of the men who had enlisted in the first five years (1971-75) to 0.83/1,000 of those who enlisted in the last five (1991-95). The number of stroke cases -- cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage -- showed a similar trend. The increase for cerebral infarction was 32 percent, from 0.68 for the first five-year cohort to 0.9 per 1,000 for the last. For cerebral hemorrhage the rise was 20 percent, from 0.45 to 0.54 per 1,000. In contrast, heart attacks within 21 years of enlistment fell by 43 percent, from 1.4 to 0.8 per 1,000, of the cohorts enlisting first and last respectively. The proportion of deaths from all cardiovascular disease also decreased, by 50 percent -- from 1.5 to 0.74 per 1,000. The fact that the trends for cardiovascular diseases move in differing directions over time suggests that other, unknown factors are involved as well. According to the researchers, post-enlistment weight trends may be one such factor, but stress and drug use may be others. Especially for heart attacks, researchers believe that a sharp fall in smoking underlies the decline. The fact remains, however, that overweight and obesity are influential. "We see that heart attacks would have decreased even more if it hadn't been for the rise in overweight and obesity. Our results thus provide strong support for thinking that obesity and, to some extent, low fitness by the age of 18 affect early-onset cardiovascular disease. So at societal level, it's important to try to get more physical activity, and to have already established good eating habits by adolescence, while being less sedentary," David Åberg concludes.   Clinical trial shows benefit of yoga for side effects of prostate cancer treatment University of Pennsylvania, April 7, 2021 Men who attended a structured yoga class twice a week during prostate cancer radiation treatment reported less fatigue and better sexual and urinary function than those who didn't, according to a clinical trial led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. It is the first randomized trial to look at the effect of twice-weekly yoga on the side-effects and quality of life issues caused by prostate cancer treatment. The results published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics. All of the patients in the trial underwent between six and nine weeks of external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer. The patients were randomized into two groups: one arm participated in a yoga class that met twice a week and the other arm served as a control group. Patients who already practiced yoga on their own were not eligible for the study, nor were patients with a history of prior radiation therapy or those with metastatic disease. Only two instructors led classes for this study, with the lead instructor teaching 75 percent of the classes. Each session lasted 75 minutes, beginning with five minutes of breathing and centering techniques and ending with five minutes of Savasana, a common yoga position. Typical sessions incorporated sitting, standing, and reclining positions that were modified using props to adapt to each patient's needs and restrictions. Patients were primarily evaluated on their level of fatigue. Each man filled out a nine-item questionnaire assessing fatigue severity and impact on daily life. The first questionnaire was given between two and three weeks before the start of radiotherapy, then twice a week while receiving radiotherapy, with a final survey filled out within a week of their last yoga class or last radiation treatment, depending on the assigned study arm. "At their baseline, before patients started treatment, patients in both groups were on the lower end of the scale, meaning they reported lower amounts of fatigue," said the trial's principal investigator Neha Vapiwala, MD, an associate professor of Radiation Oncology. "But as treatment went on, we observed a difference in the two groups." Patients in the yoga group reported lower fatigue scores over time, as they attended more yoga sessions, relative to where they started. Patients who did not participate in yoga trended in the opposite direction, reporting greater fatigue as treatment progressed. "Levels of patient-reported fatigue are expected to increase by around the fourth or fifth week of a typical treatment course, but that did not happen in the yoga group," Vapiwala said. "Both the severity of the fatigue as well as the patients' ability to go about their normal lives appeared to be positively impacted in the yoga group." Researchers also evaluated both groups in terms of their sexual health. Sexual dysfunction - including but not limited to erectile dysfunction (ED) - is reported by up to 85 percent of radiation therapy patients during treatment, often due to the concurrent use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The study utilized the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, in which scores range from 0-25. Scores greater than 21 are considered normal and scores below 12 indicate moderate to severe ED. Both groups started out with scores of around 11, and were balanced in terms of ADT exposure; but while the yoga group's score ended up largely unchanged from baseline, the non-yoga group saw a decline over the course of treatment. "Yoga is known to strengthen pelvic floor muscles, which is one of several postulated theories that may explain why this group did not demonstrate declining scores, as seen in the control group," Vapiwala said. "That may also explain the yoga patients' improved urinary function scores, another finding of this trial." Vapiwala pointed out that the findings on improved or stable urinary function are consistent with other research on the effects of physical therapy on pelvic floor muscles. The trial also found that while the emotional well-being of both groups increased as patients progressed through treatment, the evaluation scores in the yoga group rose more rapidly than in the control group. An evaluation of physical well-being showed a similar pattern   Spanking may affect the brain development of a child Study shows it could alter a child's neural responses to their environment in similar ways to a child experiencing more severe violence Harvard University, April, 12, 2021 Spanking may affect a child's brain development in similar ways to more severe forms of violence, according to a new study led by Harvard researchers.  The research, published recently in the journal Child Development, builds on existing studies that show heightened activity in certain regions of the brains of children who experience abuse in response to threat cues.  The group found that children who had been spanked had a greater neural response in multiple regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), including in regions that are part of the salience network. These areas of the brain respond to cues in the environment that tend to be consequential, such as a threat, and may affect decision-making and processing of situations. "We know that children whose families use corporal punishment are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, behavior problems, and other mental health problems, but many people don't think about spanking as a form of violence," said Katie A. McLaughlin, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, director of the Stress & Development Lab in the Department of Psychology, and the senior researcher on the study. "In this study, we wanted to examine whether there was an impact of spanking at a neurobiological level, in terms of how the brain is developing." According to the study's authors, corporal punishment has been linked to the development of mental health issues, anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and substance use disorders. And recent studies show that approximately half of parents in U.S. studies reported spanking their children in the past year and one-third in the past week. However, the relationship between spanking and brain activity has not previously been studied.  McLaughlin and her colleagues--including Jorge Cuartas, first author of the study and a doctoral candidate in the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and David Weissman, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology's Stress & Development Lab--analyzed data from a large study of children between the ages of three and 11. They focused on 147 children around ages 10 and 11 who had been spanked, excluding children who had also experienced more severe forms of violence.  Each child lay in an MRI machine and watched a computer screen on which were displayed different images of actors making "fearful" and "neutral" faces. A scanner captured the child's brain activity in response to each kind of face, and those images were analyzed to determine whether the faces sparked different patterns of brain activity in children who were spanked compared to those who were not.  "On average, across the entire sample, fearful faces elicited greater activation than neutral faces in many regions throughout the brain... and children who were spanked demonstrated greater activation in multiple regions of PFC to fearful relative to neutral faces than children who were never spanked," researchers wrote.  By contrast, "(t)here were no regions of the brain where activation to fearful relative to neutral faces differed between children who were abused and children who were spanked." The findings are in line with similar research conducted on children who had experienced severe violence, suggesting that "while we might not conceptualize corporal punishment to be a form of violence, in terms of how a child's brain responds, it's not all that different than abuse," said McLaughlin. "It's more a difference of degree than of type." Researchers said the study is a first step towards further interdisciplinary analysis of spanking's potential effects on children's brain development and lived experiences.  "These findings aligned with the predictions from other perspectives on the potential consequences of corporal punishment," studied in fields such as developmental psychology and social work, said Cuartas. "By identifying certain neural pathways that explain the consequences of corporal punishment in the brain, we can further suggest that this kind of punishment might be detrimental to children and we have more avenues to explore it." However, they noted that their findings are not applicable to the individual life of each child.  "It's important to consider that corporal punishment does not impact every child the same way, and children can be resilient if exposed to potential adversities," said Cuartas. "But the important message is that corporal punishment is a risk that can increase potential problems for children's development, and following a precautionary principle, parents and policymakers should work toward trying to reduce its prevalence."  Ultimately, added McLaughlin, "we're hopeful that this finding may encourage families not to use this strategy, and that it may open people's eyes to the potential negative consequences of corporal punishment in ways they haven't thought of before."

In this podcast, the principal investigator at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Stephen Boppart, details the development of a novel portable imaging system with research and clinical applications. He discusses:   How the laser they've developed is able to scan tissues and produce images without the use of potentially toxic dyes and contrast materials In what capacity this new imaging technology can be used in vivo and in the operating room, and how this could allow for a real-time determination of how aggressive a tumor is Why standard procedures in histology miss critical information about tissues and metabolic activity, and how this new technology can bypass the problem   Dr. Boppart expounds on the many research and clinical applications of this new technology, which include exploration of fundamental questions in biology and carcinogenesis, and detection of biomarkers leading to earlier cancer diagnosis.   One of his main focuses has been on putting this technology on a portable medical card and bringing it into the operating room during breast cancer surgery in order to image a tumor as soon as it's been excised. This will allow for a better understanding of breast cancer anatomy, including the cells present, the collagen structure, and the level of metabolic activity.   Dr. Boppart also discusses how the quantity and type of extracellular vesicles differ depending on whether it's been produced by cancerous or healthy tissue, and how this discovery would have been impossible if only using standard methods in histology.   For more information, check out https://biophotonics.illinois.edu/.

Continued advances in various fabrication processes and technologies have led to rapid developments in both top-down and bottom-up approaches to nanomanufacturing (nanoMFG). The nanomanufacturing (nanoMFG) node at Illinois presented its first two-day workshop on focusing on data-science enabled advances in nanomanufacturing and nanotechnology to explore future opportunities in nanomanufacturing. The Director of the Nanomanufacturing Node, Kimani Touissant joins the program. He is an associate Professor in the Departments of Mechanical Science and Engineering, and Bioengineering, and an Affiliate Faculty in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well as the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois

Consciousness has many aspects, from experience to wakefulness to self-awareness. One aspect is imagination: our minds can conjure up multiple hypothetical futures to help us decide which choices we should make. Where did that ability come from? Today’s guest, Malcolm MacIver, pinpoints an important transition in the evolution of consciousness to when fish first climbed on to land, and could suddenly see much farther, which in turn made it advantageous to plan further in advance. If this idea is true, it might help us understand some of the abilities and limitations of our cognitive capacities, with potentially important ramifications for our future as a species.            Support Mindscape on Patreon or Paypal. Malcolm MacIver received his Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2001 from the University of Illinois and the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology. (This was after an unconventional childhood where he dropped out of school at age 9 and later talked his way into a community college program.) He is currently a professor of Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurobiology at Northwestern University. In 2009 he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering. Northwestern Web Page Google Scholar Talk on sensing and planning Paper: “The Shift to Life on Land Selected for Planning” Twitter

In this fiftieth episode of the Philosophy Bakes Bread radio show and podcast, we interview Dr. Colleen Murphy of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign about her recent book on "Transitional Justice." Colleen's recent book is titled The Conceptual Foundations of Transitional Justice. This project is an extension of her work from a prior book, A Moral Theory of Political Reconciliation. Colleen is a Professor in the College of Law and the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is also the Director of the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program in International Programs and Studies, and Affiliate Faculty of the Beckman Institute. She is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Moral Philosophy. Listen for our “You Tell Me!” questions and for some jokes in one of our concluding segments, called “Philosophunnies.” Reach out to us on Facebook @PhilosophyBakesBread and on Twitter @PhilosophyBB; email us at philosophybakesbread@gmail.com; or call and record a voicemail that we play on the show, at 859.257.1849. Philosophy Bakes Bread is a production of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA). Check us out online at PhilosophyBakesBread.com and check out SOPHIA at PhilosophersInAmerica.com.

Welcome to Episode 13 of the Untamed Podcast with Dr. Kathryn Clancy. Dr. Kathryn Clancy is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, with additional affiliations in the Program for Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, and Women and Gender in Global Perspectives. Dr. Clancy’s research integrates life history, evolutionary medicine, and feminist biology to contest clinical definitions of normal in women’s health. She’s also host of the aptly named podcast, “Period.” in which Dr. Clancy and guests explore anything and everything to do with the menstrual cycle. Listen on:  ||  iTunes  ||  Stitcher  || Google Play  ||   YouTube || EPISODE DETAILS: 2:10 I’m a Period(.) Podcast Guest. SO, STAY TUNED! 5:25 Dr.... The post UNTAMED 013: On Periods + Biological Anthropology with Dr. Kathryn Clancy appeared first on LU|EATS.

I have a little confession to make. Even though I'm a health journalist, and I've interviewed countless experts about why exercising is good and important and something we should do every day… I loathe it. Well that is to say, I used to loathe it.   What really changed for me was when I started looking at the research showing that not only is exercise good because it can make us stronger, faster, fitter and slimmer; it's also essential for a healthy mind and brain. I  this episode I speak with Arthur Kramer, who is formerly the Director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, and recently moved to Boston, where he's now Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education and a Professor of Psychology & Engineering at Northeastern University.  You're about learn what Professor Kramer found when he peered into the brain of one of the world's greatest athletes. You're also going to learn about how exercise encourages your body to make BDNF, a substance that neuroscientists are calling brain fertiliser because it nurtures the development of new brain cells. And you're going to discover what one of the world's leading experts (who's just as busy as the rest of us) does in his life to make sure he's getting the best return on his exercise time investment.  

My guest today is Daniel Simons, an experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois. Simons is most well known for his work on change blindness and inattentional blindness, two surprising examples of how people can be unaware of information right in front of their eyes. His research interests also include visual cognition, perception, memory, attention, and awareness. The topics are experimental psychology and cognitive science. In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss: Simons' YouTube success The definition of inattentional blindness Why our intuition about our own minds is often wrong Money managers and weather forecasters Serial tasking, multitasking, and focus How Simons became immersed in this area of study Memory and attention, and the myths and misconceptions surrounding them The notion of intuition, gut decisions, and Simons' thoughts on Malcolm Gladwell's “Blink” The idea of preparation in relation to expert performance The science behind eyewitness testimony How our minds don't work the way we think they do Jump in! --- I'm MICHAEL COVEL, the host of TREND FOLLOWING RADIO, and I'm proud to have delivered 10+ million podcast listens since 2012. Investments, economics, psychology, politics, decision-making, human behavior, entrepreneurship and trend following are all passionately explored and debated on my show. To start? I'd like to give you a great piece of advice you can use in your life and trading journey… cut your losses! You will find much more about that philosophy here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/trend/ You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/ Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Today on the podcast, Michael Covel speaks with Daniel Simons. Simons is an experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois. Simons is most well known for his work on change blindness and inattentional blindness, two surprising examples of how people can be unaware of information right in front of their eyes. His research interests also include visual cognition, perception, memory, attention, and awareness. Covel relates all this to trading and trend following, particularly the price of oil in early 2015. Covel and Simons discuss Simons’ YouTube success; the definition of inattentional blindness; why our intuition about our own minds is often wrong; money managers and weather forecasters; serial tasking, multitasking, and focus; how Simons became immersed in this area of study; memory and attention, and the myths and misconceptions surrounding them; the notion of intuition. gut decisions, and Simons’ thoughts on Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink”; the idea of preparation in relation to expert performance; the science behind eyewitness testimony; and how our minds don’t work the way we think they do. For more information on Daniel Simons, go to dansimons.com or invisiblegorilla.com. Want a free trend following DVD? Go to trendfollowing.com/win.