Breaking News, Latest News and Current News,Breaking news and video. Latest Current News: U.S., World, Entertainment, Health, Business, Technology, Politics, Sports

House debates 40th effort to repeal health law

House debates 40th effort to repeal health law House debates 40th effort to repeal health law For the 40th time, Republicans were p...

Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I5cM5uJrxkGS5kcY2sY3uHFZlxgKgkuMuhKumuXWH5z_uSKSofBMGCF3rbeW4RUWo4T4JisCVn9AOFT2Re452CEF0a45IuKTZfsUQ1KBKoDqdhHCk1bgTe36tjk6bQy2Ai8wmXeNZCs/s1600/brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter" border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I5cM5uJrxkGS5kcY2sY3uHFZlxgKgkuMuhKumuXWH5z_uSKSofBMGCF3rbeW4RUWo4T4JisCVn9AOFT2Re452CEF0a45IuKTZfsUQ1KBKoDqdhHCk1bgTe36tjk6bQy2Ai8wmXeNZCs/s400/brain.jpg" title="Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/08/brain-training-can-make-you.html">Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter</a></h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice that their memory and mental clarity are not what they used to be.  We suddenly can't remember where we put the keys just a moment ago, or an old acquaintance's name, or the name of an old band we used to love.  As the brain fades, we euphemistically refer to these occurrences as "senior moments."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While seemingly innocent, this loss of mental focus can potentially have a detrimental impact on our professional, social, and personal well-being. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It happens to most of us, but is it inevitable? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Neuroscientists are increasingly showing that there's actually a lot that can be done.  It turns that the brain needs exercise in much the same way our muscles do, and the right mental workouts can significantly improve our basic cognitive functions.  Thinking is essentially a process of making neural connections in the brain.  To a certain extent, our ability to excel in making the neural connections that drive intelligence is inherited.  However, because these connections are made through effort and practice, scientists believe that intelligence can expand and fluctuate according to mental effort.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, a new San Francisco Web-based company has taken it a step further and developed the first "brain training program" designed to actually help people improve and regain their mental sharpness.  Called Lumosity, it was designed by some of the leading experts in neuroscience and cognitive psychology from Stanford University.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lumosity, is far more than an online place to exercise your mental skills.  That's because they have integrated these exercises into a Web-based program that allows you to systematically improve your memory and attention skills.  The program keeps track of your progress and provides detailed feedback on your performance and improvement.  Most importantly, it constantly modifies and enhances the games you play to build on the strengths you are developing--much like an effective exercise routine requires you to increase resistance and vary your muscle use.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Apparently it does. In randomized, controlled clinical trials, Lumosity was shown to significantly improve basic cognitive functions. One study showed students improved their scores on math tests by 34 percent after using Lumosity for six weeks, significantly greater gains than those made by other students in the same class, who were not training with the Lumosity program.</div>
</div>

Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter As many people hit middle age...

The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPzJqYy65anTGSspnATaXtyGX432MjLOjwlVnuezu-8DtL9clfh9NVUQQASVZN9m57RkYvZQqgZu15fEva5L8VLfbshyndCpbvQ9rKu4_rCzD74mj6SP3_14mDSPfHUC4la54gb2oRvo/s1600/whoa-baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPzJqYy65anTGSspnATaXtyGX432MjLOjwlVnuezu-8DtL9clfh9NVUQQASVZN9m57RkYvZQqgZu15fEva5L8VLfbshyndCpbvQ9rKu4_rCzD74mj6SP3_14mDSPfHUC4la54gb2oRvo/s400/whoa-baby.jpg" title="The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-science-behind-delivering-135-pound.html">The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby</a></h2>
<div>
<div>
It's impressive that baby Jasleen was delivered without a C-section — but was it safe?</div>
<div>
Since entering the world at 13.47 pounds last Friday, baby Jasleen has made headlines and records. Jasleen was delivered vaginally at University Hospital in Leipzig, making her the largest baby in the country to be delivered without a cesarean section.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, while people have been cooing over the giant bundle of joy and marveling that her mother, Maria, delivered her vaginally, is it safe for a baby to be that large and be delivered without a C-section?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The answer, generally speaking, is no. But the circumstances in this case are complicated by the reason behind baby Jasleen’s girth: Her mother had been suffering from an undiagnosed case of gestational diabetes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Gestational diabetes is usually tested for between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. It is very treatable, often with just monitoring the mother’s blood sugar and bringing in diet and exercise changes. In fact, insulin medicine is recommended for only 10 to 20 percent of women with gestational diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When it is left untreated, though, the extra glucose in the mother’s bloodstream crosses the placenta to trigger the baby’s pancreas to make insulin. As a result, the baby grows to an unhealthily large size, a condition known as fetal macrosomia, which is somewhat arbitrarily defined at a threshold of 8 pounds, 13 ounces — a threshold that Jasleen well exceeds.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Generally, babies with fetal macrosomia are delivered via C-section. Due to their large size, there is greater likelihood for shoulder dystocia, which is when a baby’s shoulder cannot fit through the mother’s pelvis and the baby gets caught in the birth canal. Dr. Elizabeth G. Baxley and Dr. Robert W. Gobbo at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) call it "one of the most frightening emergencies in the delivery room," in part because a trapped baby may not be able to breath.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yet, despite the evidence in favor of a C-section, the doctors at University Hospital were not necessarily wrong in their decision to naturally deliver Jasleen. According to a hospital statement by chief of obstetrics Holger Stepan, "We decided to try natural birth, as a child of this size [with] the excess weight of the mother, a cesarean section would have been associated with a significant risk." Though fairly routine, "C-sections can be risky for both the baby and the mother," notes James Fleur at Science Recorder. Possible problems include blood clots for the mother and breathing problems for the baby.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Moreover, since Jasleen’s mother had never been previously treated at the hospital, the physicians were unaware of her gestational diabetes and likely could not anticipate how large a baby Jasleen would be. And it’s not unheard of to vaginally deliver a baby of that size. Just this March, British baby George King was delivered vaginally, clocking in at 15 pounds 7 ounces.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
At the moment, though, baby Jasleen is doing well and being cared for in the hospital’s neonatal unit. Her mother is also doing quite well, though still recovering from the shock of her big surpise. She told the Daily Mail, "I had no idea there was such a giant inside of me."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
View this article on TheWeek.com Get 4 Free Issues of The Week</div>
</div>
</div>

The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby It's impressive that baby Jasle...

Mentally ill people 'hit hard by recession'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxqBm-kxmFW_g5Wb_h0evbUJOlox2w6P6WjD18XijcBAh5FblN2Tgt8OyvpBJevp4bnDEiU-7ZlHHXrS36rX_UohPmWtxOGqiaWyBZZZCrrapFlFn2_KPJlThLOrDLhv2Kx0slt__0LM/s1600/Mentally+ill+people+'hit+hard+by+recession'.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mentally ill people 'hit hard by recession'" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxqBm-kxmFW_g5Wb_h0evbUJOlox2w6P6WjD18XijcBAh5FblN2Tgt8OyvpBJevp4bnDEiU-7ZlHHXrS36rX_UohPmWtxOGqiaWyBZZZCrrapFlFn2_KPJlThLOrDLhv2Kx0slt__0LM/s400/Mentally+ill+people+'hit+hard+by+recession'.jpg" title="Mentally ill people 'hit hard by recession'" width="400" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/mentally-ill-people-hit-hard-by.html">Mentally ill people 'hit hard by recession'</a></h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Between 2006 and 2010, the rate of unemployment for those with mental health problems rose twice as much as for other people - from 12.7% to 18.2%.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Men and those with low levels of education were particularly affected, the study said.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The authors warn that social exclusion could increase among the mentally ill.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Scientists collected data from 20,000 people across 27 EU countries using the Eurobarometer survey, which looked at mental health, attitudes to those with mental health problems and current employment rate.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Continue reading the main story</div>
<div>
“</div>
<div>
Start Quote</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's harder for people to get a job if there's already a gap on their CV.”</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dr Sara Evans-Locko</div>
<div>
Institute of Psychiatry</div>
<div>
For those without mental health problems, the unemployment rate increased from 7.1% in 2006 to 9.8% in 2010 - half the increase compared with the previous group.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition, the study identified that men with mental health problems were particularly vulnerable. The unemployment rate for this group increased from 13.7% in 2006 to 21.7% in 2010.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Stigma</h3>
<div>
The researchers, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, found that negative attitudes to people with mental health problems were a factor in the rise in unemployment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The study said: "Living in a country where a higher proportion of individuals believe that individuals with mental illness are dangerous was associated with a higher likelihood of unemployment for people with mental health problems, but did not influence employment rates for those without mental health problems."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is thought that unemployed people with mental health problems may also be less likely to seek help and and may need specific outreach support.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dr Sara Evans-Locko, lead study author and lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, said the study did not have unemployment rates for individual EU countries. She suggested the trend was a general one across Europe which was not specific to any one culture.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"During a recession people who already have mental health problems find their economic and social position gets worse.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"We don't exactly know why, but it's harder for people to get a job if there's already a gap on their CV and if employers need to cut staff then these people might be more vulnerable."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The danger is that economic hardship can intensify the social exclusion of vulnerable people, such as those with mental health problems, the study said.</div>
</div>
</div>

Mentally ill people 'hit hard by recession' Between 2006 and 2010, the rate of unemployment for those with mental health pr...

Vibrating Bicycle Seat, 'Happy Ride,' Hits Sex Shop Shelves

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVjV7nMY-xOn4SRiRrF_hU191ssinZm0Qa2sSbSix0idHOJKAbUYkpO3SZ6yb0zFyoIi4vurTChyphenhyphenpB8R5KH2hC8S-GJAaQ_oDetlKpmipBusAeoSj_i48ZxNnZ2pTjgoSRpyEjjYjHbE/s1600/r-WOMAN-HAPPY-BIKE-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVjV7nMY-xOn4SRiRrF_hU191ssinZm0Qa2sSbSix0idHOJKAbUYkpO3SZ6yb0zFyoIi4vurTChyphenhyphenpB8R5KH2hC8S-GJAaQ_oDetlKpmipBusAeoSj_i48ZxNnZ2pTjgoSRpyEjjYjHbE/s400/r-WOMAN-HAPPY-BIKE-large570.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/vibrating-bicycle-seat-happy-ride-hits.html">Vibrating Bicycle Seat, 'Happy Ride,' Hits Sex Shop Shelves</a></h2>
<div>
<div>
As if biking wasn’t sexy enough already.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A sex toy company based in the U.K. has released a new sexvention -- the Happy Ride, a vibrating bike seat cover.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The covers, created by SexShop365, position a small vibrator in the middle of the seat, offering the kind of “great pleasurable heights” more stimulating than a beautiful view or endorphins from a long ride.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Happy Ride comes equipped with a discreet control to either raise or lower the vibration. It's supposed to be relatively quiet, though the device's advertised light humming could be easily drowned out by some ... light humming.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Turning a bike into a pleasure mobile costs roughly $37.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Even though biking is the second most popular outdoor activity in the United States, according to a study by BikesBelong.org, it's about to get more of a buzz. It remains to be seen whether the Happy Ride will prove to be too big a distraction for bicyclists -- and the drivers and pedestrians watching them -- who are getting their pedal-twerk on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Claire Bowden of SexShop365 attributes the growing demand for exercise-related toys to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" phenomenon. Whatever the reasoning, the Happy Ride is bound to close the gap between bicyclists and orgasm enthusiasts everywhere.</div>
</div>
</div>

Vibrating Bicycle Seat, 'Happy Ride,' Hits Sex Shop Shelves As if biking wasn’t sexy enough already. A sex toy company ba...

Paleontologists discover dinosaur tail in northern Mexico

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTQWedrTi4E5lq_GzxottVkbizLSFRckK04Z0kKv3YFWfv1ZX-BFckZTkfWEUePn5loqHu8VYRLmBRnOOZ3j-yYKsayIbAzPt6uFvGOk4kR94TA70mQsCMvD88JmerGm1S3XCMnyFwhQ/s1600/Paleontologists+discover+dinosaur+tail+in+northern+Mexico.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTQWedrTi4E5lq_GzxottVkbizLSFRckK04Z0kKv3YFWfv1ZX-BFckZTkfWEUePn5loqHu8VYRLmBRnOOZ3j-yYKsayIbAzPt6uFvGOk4kR94TA70mQsCMvD88JmerGm1S3XCMnyFwhQ/s400/Paleontologists+discover+dinosaur+tail+in+northern+Mexico.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<h1 class="headline" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 33px; margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px 10px;">
<br /></h1>
<h1 class="headline" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 33px; margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px 10px;">
<a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/paleontologists-discover-dinosaur-tail.html">Paleontologists discover dinosaur tail in northern Mexico</a></h1>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A team of paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains of a 72 million-year-old dinosaur tail in a desert in northern Mexico, the country's National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) said on Monday.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Apart from being unusually well preserved, the 5 meter (16 foot) tail was the first ever found in Mexico, said Francisco Aguilar, INAH's director in the border state of Coahuila.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The team, made up of paleontologists and students from INAH and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), identified the fossil as a hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The tail, found near the small town of General Cepeda, likely made up half the dinosaur's length, Aguilar said.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/paleontologists-discover-dinosaur-tail.html">Paleontologists discover dinosaur tail in northern Mexico</a></h3>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">
Dinosaur tail finds are relatively rare, according to INAH. The new discovery could further understanding of the hadrosaur family and aid research on diseases that afflicted dinosaur bones, which resembled those of humans, Aguilar said.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">
Scientists have already determined that dinosaurs suffered from tumors and arthritis, for example.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">
Dinosaur remains have been found in many parts of the state of Coahuila, in addition to Mexico's other northern desert states.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">The presence of the remains was reported to INAH by locals in June 2012. After initial inspections, excavation began earlier this month. The remains of the tail will be transferred to General Cepeda for cleaning and further investigation.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>

Paleontologists discover dinosaur tail in northern Mexico MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A team of paleontologists have discovered the f...

Pages

World Of News 360