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Day: 30 April 2012

New technique to determine source of greenhouse gasses

Written by Aryan Safavi on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

To determine the human impact on the Earth’s climate is a persistent concern for scientists and world leaders alike. There has long been an issue over distinguishing between man-made and natural biological sources of the carbon dioxide in the air.

University of Colorado researchers John Miller and Scott Lehman led a study that aimed to discover a difference between carbon dioxide present in the air from burning fossil fuels, and carbon dioxide from natural sources such as plant respiration.

The report’s lead author, Lehman, was positive about the study’s potential impact: “We think the approach offered by this study can increase the accuracy of emissions detection and verification for fossil fuel combustion and a host of other man-made gases.”

According to Miller, emissions from burning fossil fuels have inflated the Earth’s atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) from 280 parts per million at the beginning of the 1800s, to modern day levels of 390 parts per million. The current prevailing opinion amongst climate scientists is that this concentration of greenhouse gases leads to rising global temperatures. The greenhouse effect is a natural process necessary to maintain life by trapping some of the sun’s energy in the atmosphere. However the belief is that rising temperatures are caused by a human-driven increase in this effect through an increased presence of certain ‘greenhouse gases’ in the atmosphere such as CO2.

The method tested uses the rare radioactive isotope Carbon-14. It is produced when cosmic rays hit nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. Atoms of the same element can be made of different numbers of sub-atomic neutrons, each of these possibilities is a different isotope, and the report found that this concentration of the Carbon-14 (carbon with 14 neutrons) isotope can be measured to determine the CO2 source.

Fossil fuels buried underground for millions of years contain limited amounts of the radioactive isotope since every 5,700 years the concentration of the isotope in the substance halves. The fossil fuels, which are the remains of ancient plants and animals buried under the ground millions of years ago, no longer contain significant amounts of the decayed radioactive carbon, so neither does the CO2 emissions from when the fuel is burnt. Whilst carbon dioxide in the atmosphere produced by living biological organism is rich in Carbon-14.

Miller believes that this method will be useful to test and compliment the current regulatory system in which countries provide data on fossil fuels burnt and emissions: “While the accounting-based approach is probably accurate at global scales, the uncertainties rise for smaller-scale regions.

“And as CO2 emissions targets become more widespread, there may be a greater temptation to under-report. But we’ll be able to see through that.”

In such a critical field of science and policy, so vehemently debated and a source of imminent fear for humanity’s survival, any new techniques available to understand carbon dioxide release and distribution are welcome. Jane Burston, head of the Centre for Carbon Measurement at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, recognised “The more measurements we have from different sources, the more accurate we can make them all.”

Diabetes caused by dieting during pregnancy

Written by Lara Wyatt on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

It is estimated that by 2030, 26 million people in the UK will be obese. This staggering burden will have effects on diseases such as diabetes. Type-2 diabetes in particular is largely attributable to obesity, and will be responsible for the majority of the estimated 4 million additional diabetes cases by 2030. Researchers at the University of Manchester, along with colleagues in Canada and New Zealand, may have shed light on how being a twin could be a cause of this disease.

Their studies, led by Professor of Endocrine Sciences Anne White, monitored the pregnancies of sheep- both those expecting twins, and those consuming insufficient amounts of food around the time of conception. Samples of the unborn lambs’ brain tissue were examined for the possible occurrence of changes in certain genes.

As predicted, it was observed that twin lambs had experienced changes in DNA structure. These occurred in regions of the brain associated with food intake, including within the genes that regulate glucose levels. These changes resulted in an increased likelihood of type-2 diabetes and obesity in the lambs’ later lives.

The findings also implied an increased likelihood of such diseases in lambs whose mothers were eating insufficiently during their pregnancy.

The significance of these results lies in the fact that such DNA alterations are not hereditary, but a far more infrequent form of non-genetic alteration. For this reason it is possible that these same changes could occur in humans, giving a new understanding of how twins may develop type-2 diabetes.

If, indeed, humans can undergo this same process, as the researchers believe, expectant mothers who diet during pregnancy could well be risking their unborn child’s future health and quality of life.

By reinforcing the need for dietary advice during family planning, these findings may prove invaluable as part of today’s essential preventive approach to healthcare.

‘Revenge porn’ website shut down

Written by Leah Wong on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The creator of controversial revenge site isanyoneup.com has closed the site and sold the domain to an anti-bullying group.

Hunter Moore, described as “the Net’s most hated man” made £12,400 a month using his website which hosted pictures of sexual partners someone wanted revenge on. The photos were often accompanied by links to the victim’s social networking pages, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Neither Moore, nor the vengeful partners had permission to post the intimate images which caused the victims embarrassment and distress. Requests for the images to be taken down were ignored by Moore who was described by the site’s new owner, James McGibney, as “the No. 1 internet bully out there”. The website led to Moore being beaten up and even stabbed by one of the women shown on the site.

The site, which received 300,000 hits a day, made its money through advertising nightclubs and merchandise. Moore had plans to expand the site with a mobile app and by introducing a social networking element.

Moore ignored any legal action taken against him, including a cease and desist letter from Facebook. During the time the site was live, only one legal request to take down photos was successful. Many victims felt legal action would only draw unwanted attention to the photos they wanted taken off the website.

To prevent lawyers and affected parties from finding where the site is hosted to either start legal action or to hack it, Moore moved the site to over 40 different hosts. Despite this, Moore has now taken down the site claiming the number of photos of underage people he received as the main factor. In an interview with the BBC, he said: “A lot of under-age content comes out of your end of the world. We almost had to black out the UK from accessing the site at one point because we were getting so much under-age content. We usually just flag it and try and report it.”

The web address now redirects to a page on the site of the new owner, BullyVill.com, with statements from Moore and McGibney.

Manchester research finds hope for bipolar treatment

Written by Luke Bryden on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Everyone has shifts in mood throughout the day, but for people suffering from bipolar disorder some days the shift can be from manic highs to depressing lows. Treatment of the disorder is very patient-specific and involves a wide range of psychotherapy, social therapy and intervention with medication. The best-established class of drugs for treating people who suffer from the disorder are lithium salts. But they aren’t without their side effects; these include nausea, acne, muscle weakness and tremors. Such side effects are experienced because the lithium salts have a wide range of targets within a cell and this lack of specificity has many knock-on effects in the body.

Patients using the salts treatment show reduced erratic behaviour associated with the manic highs, but the treatment is less effective at reducing the depression side of the disorder. With few other drugs to treat people with bipolar disorder, there is a gap that is waiting to be filled with more specific therapeutic targets.

The mechanism by which lithium salts aid bipolar sufferers was not well characterised, but research in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester has helped shed light onto a previously grey area. Dr. Qing-Jun Meng and his research team have found a link between bipolar disorder and a disruption of the circadian rhythms- the daily rhythms controlled by our body clock. Lithium salts work by inhibiting an enzyme that is involved in the disruption, leading to a three-fold increase in the stability of the rhythm.

Dr Meng’s research has opened a door towards the development of more targeted therapies that could give rise to drugs that are even more effective than lithium salts, with the advantage of reduced side effects. Promisingly, drugs to target the implicated enzyme are currently in development in other research laboratories.

Final year dissertation students faced absent supervisors

Written by Gareth Lewis on . Posted in News.

Students claim they did not have access to regular supervision from lecturers

 

History students who expressed concerns about absent dissertation supervisors have criticised the handling of their complaints by staff at the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures.

The complaints have emerged following the submission of final year theses, which one student, who wishes to remain nameless, said he managed “in spite of” his supervisor.

This student, originally under the supervision of Dr. Ana Carden-Coyne, was passed between Undergraduate Programme Director Max Jones and Dr. Hughes throughout the year, whilst Ana Carden-Coyne took sick leave and then maternity leave.

Dr. Carden-Coyne had told him on their first meeting that she had “no knowledge or interest in my subject,” even though his choice “had been ratified by Max [Jones]”.

He says he was “completely left in limbo” for semester two when he found out “through word of mouth” that she was pregnant. She never informed this student directly that she would be taking leave.

The student says it was a “few weeks” before he found out in semester two that he was reassigned to Dr. Anne Marie Hughes. It was a process which “felt like starting again six weeks before deadline” with another tutor who had “no knowledge or interest In my subject”. He insists that without the dedication of Dr. Max Jones: “I doubt I’d have finished.”

Angela Ballone, a lecturer drafted in from Liverpool to teach the First Hundred Years of Spanish America course following the sick leave of Glyn Redworth, has been accused by another student of being particularly difficult to contact.

She was only available to fill the minimum requirement of five meetings during the second semester. One of those times was on the dissertation hand-in date, the 24th April. This was amended. Students were required to choose between two other dates, the 17th and 20th Feb, meaning that they could see Prof. Ballone only four times in the final months before submission of their work.

One student, who had a work shift during one of those meetings, asked for an alternative date, even going so far as to offer to travel to Liverpool to discuss their thesis. Professor Ballone said she was “not happy” to do that.

Responding to The Mancunion about these claims Max Jones insisted that: “Students were all given the opportunity to have at least five supervisory meetings with Dr. Ballone across the year. Dr. Ballone thus fully met the department’s requirements for BA Dissertation supervision.” This claim was backed up by comments from the Head of Department, Dr Paul Fouracre.

The student was re-assured by Dr. Jones that office hours, in his experience, “do not provide the most satisfactory environment for dissertation supervision” and was encouraged to speak to Dr. Ballone over the phone and to see Dr. Jones in person if he needed to.

There is no suggestion that Dr. Ballone did not meet teaching requirements. In fact the quality of teaching has been praised by students in her module. But the fact that she was asked by Manchester staff to reach only the minimum level of student contact is cause for concern.

Commenting on their experience, the student said it “feels like the university was not giving me support”.

It is important to note that both Dr. Jones and Dr. Fouracre worked hard personally and with the wider department to uphold the standard of teaching in circumstances made difficult through illness and absence.

Dr. Fouracre personally moderated every piece of work submitted to Dr. Ballone. Dr. Jones also personally tutored students under Dr. Ballone and Dr. Carden-Coyne.

In a recent table published by The Guardian measuring student satisfaction, the History department at the University of Manchester was ranked at number 45, below Teesside University.

The History department has sought to make a series of improvements to student satisfaction over the past few years, with eight new members of staff to join in September as part of these changes. But it is clear that staffing problems have caused serious issues in the final year experience of some students.

 

The Deep South: Memphis

Written by Emily Whitehouse on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Nestled in the heart of the American Mid-South, Memphis is known as the birthplace of blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll. Most visitors come here for Graceland, and the chance to nosy around the mansion of Memphis’ most famous former resident, Elvis. But if Mr Presley isn’t your sort of thing, and you’re not looking for guidance on hideous ways to decorate your house, the city provides plenty more to do.

Memphis played an important role in the American Civil Rights movement, and a visit to the Lorraine Motel, where you can see the balcony Martin Luther King Jr was standing on when he was assassinated in 1968, is a must. Now converted into the National Civil Rights Museum, the motel has been a subject of criticism due to its expensive rejuvenation in a low-income, predominantly black area of the city. Jacqueline Smith, the motel’s former housekeeper, has protested outside the museum for the last 30 years, arguing that Martin Luther King would not approve of $9 million being spent on a building for him. She is more than happy to speak to passing tourists!

Beale Street is the party hub of Memphis: a road lined with bars, clubs and music venues. Drinking on the street itself is practically encouraged, and bars are happy to let you come in with a drink already in hand. Start your night at BB King’s – owned by the blues legend himself, this place serves great Southern food accompanied by live musicians, and a long cocktail list.

The Deep South: South Carolina

Written by Emily Brown on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Last academic year I had the privilege of spending a semester studying at NCSU in Raleigh, North Carolina. Whilst I was there, I took every opportunity my timetable, and bank account, would allow to explore my surrounding states. And so, on a sunny February afternoon, myself and four other girls bundled into a Ford Focus and began the 5 hour journey to Charleston, South Carolina, which sits about halfway down the state’s coast.

Founded in 1670 as Charles Towne, this small peninsula has more than its fair share of U.S. history. Arguably the capital of the south prior to the Civil War that began 1861, it is home to slave auction houses, trap rides and extravagant homes, previously owned by plantation masters who wanted to escape the sweltering, swampy heat that the state is characteristically known for.  Situated at the tip of the bay is the area know as The Battery, which faces Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired; the history boffin inside me was all-of-a-fluster when I found this out.

Less of a personal highlight was found on a wander downtown: the theatre from The Notebook. It meant absolutely nothing to me, as I’m a soulless creature and have never seen, nor plan to watch, it but it was a gorgeous, art deco-esque building that inspired us to jump in the road and try to recreate that famous scene. Traffic conspired against us that day.

We dined at Hyman’s Seafood Restaurant. Yep, you read it correctly. It has fed many, many credible celebrities and some not so notable. One of it’s more charming quirks is the small bronze plaques with names of said celebrities that are placed at the table they sat at. However, the deal-breaker for me was not the D-list celebrity who’s bottom had warmed the same spot as mine, it was the legendary hush puppies; deep fried balls of maize served with honey mustard, a staple of the southern diet.

When considering a place to visit on the sprawling coastlines of the States, it may not spring straight to mind, but the beautiful, historical hub of Charleston really is one of the shining gems buried in the depths of the Deep South.

Eastern Europe: Serbia

Written by Mia Edwards on . Posted in Lifestyle.

As far as great value holiday destinations go, Serbia is very much coming into it’s own right now. A boost in profile thanks to the annual EXIT Festival and the final casting off of its post-war vibes make the time right for a fantastic holiday.

 

To start, head to Belgrade, with flights from Luton starting as low as £24 via WizzAir. Once there, soak up the rich history of the capital with a walk around the old fortress of Kalemegdan, offering fantastic views of the city and the rivers (pictured). As the sun sets, head to Skadarlija, the heart of the bohemian quarter and the ‘Old Town’, with restaurants that genuinely rival some of the best in Europe in both taste and value (helped by a great exchange rate and low prices in general), and an atmosphere likened to the Parisian district of Montmartre. Great nightlife is on offer to those who can find it, with the River Danube and Sava lined with floating bars in the summer. While there are some top nights to be had for the discerning raver, these are tricky to find without good local knowledge (if in doubt, stick to the centre).

 

To escape the capital, head to Novi Sad. Coaches from Belgrade cost less than £10, and a visit will let you delve deeper into the culture and the remnants of the Ottoman empire, including the stunning Petrovardin Fortress that hosts the aforementioned EXIT Festival. Relax afterwards on the banks of the River Danube, with great sandy beaches and bars a stones-throw from the main city.

 

Either as the main attraction of your travels, or as part of a jolly around Eastern Europe, overall Serbia is a great value, emerging tourist destination, with plenty on offer to satisfy city-breakers and cultural explorers alike.

Eastern Europe: Hungary

Written by Lily Howes on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Budget city breaks are hard to come by. Even if you’ve nabbed a cheap Eurostar ticket to Paris or been enticed by some supposedly inexpensive EasyJet flights to Barcelona or Berlin once you’ve arrived things don’t seem to stay quite so within the comfort of your purse strings.

Budapest, however, poses a solution. Cheap to get to and even cheaper when you’re there. With pints of beer for less than a quid you could happily reside in one of the riverside bars for your entire trip and remain content. Don’t, however, as there is much to see and do.

On the Buda side of the Danube river visit the Royal Palace at the top of Castle Hill for impressive architecture and the Citadella for an almost aerial view of the entire city. Downtown Pest hosts some striking architecture of its own with the Parliament Building, St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Great Synagogue. It is most famous though for the its range of thermal baths. Szechenyi bath and spa present a whole range of indoor and outdoors baths with various medicinal purposes – a must all year round.

Quirky bars and restaurants scatter the city to cater to your hipster needs. When eating out  you must try some traditional Hungarian goulash, a good meal out will cost you less than a tenner all washed down with a pint of 50p beer.

Budapest is, of course, not all Hungary has to offer. Lake Balaton in the west is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe and serves as the perfect spot for an activity filled adventure.

Ask Keir: Whooping cough

Written by Keir Stone-Brown on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Ask Keir is a column aiming to answer all your health questions. If you want to know about that funny looking lump that won’t go away, why that student doctor keeps poking you or anything at all to do with health get in touch at: [email protected]

All questions will of course be kept confidential and anonymous.

Question of the Week

Hi, I’ve been hearing on the news about a disease going round called whooping cough and at the moment I’ve got a hacking cough. I’m concerend I have it what should I do?

Whooping cough has been in the news recently because there has been an upsurge in the number of cases being seen by doctors. Its caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis and classically affects babies and children but can also infect adults although less commonly. The news has centered on the rising number of adults in the last year developing the disease. In the young it can be serious however in adults it is generally less so.

The ‘whooping’ part of whooping cough comes from the noise made by sufferers. When having a coughing fit they struggle to breathe and on taking a breath in make a characteristic sound similar to that if you held your breath under water and came up gasping for air. Slightly strangely not everyone with the whooping cough necessarily whoops especially young children who can end up not breathing which is obviously very serious and needs immediate medical attention.

The symptoms start out very similar to the common cold (runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes etc.) and then progress to more serious symptoms including coughing fits which can last as long as three minutes bringing up thick phlegm and can cause vomiting.

Most people are vaccinated as a child against the whooping cough but there are several boosters required to give complete immunity and children can end up missing them leaving them open to the infection. As for the treatment if its in the early stages your doctor will most likely give you antibiotics however if its in the later stages he/she will probably not give you anything as the body’s own defence systems will have almost fought off the infection.

Otherwise they’ll advise you just to have bed rest, drink plenty of fluids and stay away for others until it’s passed.  Remember if you are worried or want to know anything more seek advice from your GP.