Who Wouldn’t Want A Pet MRI Scanner?

The absolutely stunning spatial resolution of a PET/MRI image

 You’ve got to hand it to Siemens, their (now approved and commercially available) new PET/MRI scanner, the Biograph mMR (‘molecular Magnetic Resonance’), is truly revolutionary. The system, which gained FDA approval in June of this year, combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in one powerful 3-tesla machine.

 The new technology will provide anatomical images with the extremely high spatial resolution of MRI, combined with the accurate representation of metabolic functions shown by PET. The technology will greatly increase the efficiency of patient imaging, with a combined scan suggested to take just 30 minutes.

“Like dropping acid, but not”

Us psychologists love a good illusion, and I have to say the ‘Neave Strobe’ may be the best optical illusion I’ve found on the web!

Just click on the link below and follow the instructions. It’s crucial that you focus on the stimulus for at least the 30 seconds required in order for the effect to work though (but don’t blame me if it makes your eyes hurt)… Enjoy!

Neave Strobe:

http://www.neave.com/strobe/

There is also a great ‘Planetarium’ feature on the site that’s worth a look:

http://www.neave.com/planetarium/

Preston

Think Inside The Box

  The University of Hertfordshire, led by Dr. Mike Page, have presented a little green present to this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival. The ‘Cube Project’ is a 3x3x3 metre environmentally-efficient, energy-neutral box that is supposedly all the space a person needs to live.

  The cube is a beautiful marriage of space and energy saving measures, tied together in a somewhat artistic design. Rather than explaining further, I recommend visiting the Cube Project website and watching the short (as you’d expect) virtual tour video. I absolutely love the idea of the design; although at 6’5” I’m a bit uncertain as to whether I’d be able to function properly in the space (I have enough trouble with conventionally-sized door frames as it is).

Will We Ever Stop Procrastinating?

  We all procrastinate, and how could we not? We’ll read, Tweet, browse, update, YouTube, blog – anything we can up to that point where a looming deadline finally focuses our attention enough to just get on with it. But is this behaviour of affecting task results? And if it is, what can we do about it? In a recent study in the Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, Christopher Perrin and his colleagues at Ohio State University investigated a means of reducing procrastination in students.

I think the majority of my life (for as long as I can remember at least) has been cycle of learning, revision and some means of assessment. Furthermore,my mother – a special educational needs co-ordinator – is constantly dealing with children who have difficulty engaging in class and therefore the nature of learning is a constant source of conversation and interest in the family.

Tattoos And Fashion

I was recently asked by a friend to write a small article on the psychological nature of tattooing (a field that very much interests me) for his design and fashion blog. The research in this area has recently seen substantial growth and, although I could not include a full analysis of the literature in the article for the blog, I think that a full article may follow sometime soon on SciFeed.

A link to the article on the Valley Clothing website is provided below.

http://www.valley-clothing.com/2011/09/tattoos-the-21st-century-accessory/

While you’re there, check out some of their T-shirts too – there are some great limited edition designs.

Preston

Changes Proposed For The Diagnosis Of Personality Disorders

  The ‘Personality Disorder’ diagnosis covers a wide range of abnormalities in human behaviour. Obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic, borderline and antisocial personality (including psychopathy) are all encompassed by the title. Diagnosed individuals can potentially pose a risk to themselves (e.g. borderline personality) and others (e.g. antisocial personality).

The current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition, text revision: DSM-IV-TR) is often criticised for its rigidity in diagnostic criteria for Personality Disorders. Recently proposed revisions of the diagnostic system for personality disorders have been put forward by the American Psychiatric Association to be included in the upcoming fifth edition of the DSM (DSM-5 – apparently Roman numerals are  now out of fashion).

New Genetic Factors Identified As Increasing Alzheimer’s Risk

Identified genetic factors may offer a route to treatment development

 Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of death in the Western world, one that cannot currently be slowed or cured, and the only disease with a continually rising mortality rate. US Statistics estimate that 5.4 million people suffer from the disease, incurring costs of $183 billion annually. In a study from the Archives of Genetic Psychiatry, Margaret Gatz and colleagues demonstrated up to 79% heritability of Alzheimer’s; however, at the time of publishing, very little was known about the exact genetic components involved in the disease.

 Recent research led by Cardiff University’s Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute is responsible for the identification of five additional genes that may predispose individuals to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Julie Williams of Cardiff University headed the meta-analysis of data from around 20,000 Alzheimer’s patients, as well as roughly 40,000 control subjects. Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, and Alzheimer’s Research UK, the study built upon previous work in which another 5 risk-factor genes were identified by the research initiative.

The Longest Lunar Eclipse Of The Century

A live web stream of the lunar event will give access to those unable to view the eclipse in the skies above them

The red hues of lunar eclipse totality

 Tomorrow (June 15^th 2011) will host the longest, most complete lunar eclipse of the century. People across West Africa and Central Asia will be privy to the outstanding lunar event, the likes of which will not be seen again until 2141, according to NASA sources.

 A lunar eclipse occurs during an alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. The degree of alignment accounts for the length of time that the moon spends fully covered by the Earth’s shadow

The Price Of A Smile

 In Othello, William Shakespeare said that “the robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief”. But can we really attach material value to a smile? New research suggests that yes, we can.

  Social interfacing makes up a significant portion of the human experience. As such, we are capable of adapting our interactive behaviour in response to situational demands, as well as interpreting signals given by others. Non-verbal communication contributes a large proportion of human interaction; however as the only creatures of language, non-linguistic cues are easy to overlook. (It should be noted that I do not consider parrots’ mimicries and chimpanzee signings as language; however this is a longer discussion for another time)

  Stance, posture, hand gesturing, and facial expressions, all allow us to navigate the waters of social interaction. With this in mind, Danielle Shore,a PhD student at Bangor University, led research into our interpretations

Welsh-Based Company Pioneers Micro Heart Pumps

Calon Cardio-Technology's micro system

Amongst the in-house industry based at Swansea University’s Institute of Life Sciences, is Calon Cardio-Technology; a company that has been developing the next generation of implantable heart pumps. The organisation, established in 2007, was originally a collaboration between the Professor Stephen Westaby of Oxford, and Professor Marc Clement, an honorary professor at the Swansea University College of Medicine.

The Calon Cardio pump, provides an alternative to present technology which is expensive, large, and requires highly invasive surgery.