Mother’s Malaria Can Affect Memory In Offspring

Malaria infection during pregnancy may result in learning and memory related problems in offspring, suggests new research.

This is because maternal malaria infection alters the formation of blood vessels in the brains of exposed offspring.

The exposed fetus has smaller blood vessels in its brain than the control fetus, the findings showed.

These results “highlight a novel mechanism by which malaria in pregnancy may alter the neurocognitive development of millions of children prior to birth”, the researchers said.

In this study, Kevin Kain, from the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues specifically examined neurocognitive function in mice of normal birth weight that had been exposed to — but not themselves infected with — malaria in the uterus.
The researchers found that young mice that had been exposed to malaria in pregnancy have impaired learning and memory and show depressive-like behaviour that persists to adulthood.

These neurocognitive impairments are associated with decreased tissue levels of major neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) in specific
regions of the brain.

By imaging blood vessels in the uterus, the researchers also saw changes in neurovascular development in the brain of
malaria-exposed mouse fetuses.

The findings appeared in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

FACEBOOK TO PAY VIDEO CLIP CREATORS

Facebook is to start paying some video creators for uploading their clips to the platform.

The company is launching a Suggested Videos feed that curates a sequence of clips, interspersed with adverts.

Videos that keep people watching for longer will earn a greater share of the revenue from these ads, with Facebook keeping 45% for itself.

Facebook says its users clock up four billion video views daily. One expert said it posed a threat to YouTube.

“Facebook is aggressively moving into the video space,” said Eleni Marouli, advertising analyst at IHS consultancy.

“In December 2014, Facebook surpassed YouTube in views for the first time, and we predict YouTube will lose share from next year onwards.”

In June, US broadcaster HBO announced it would stream some of its programmes on Facebook.

Offering a cash incentive could encourage more publishers to upload on the platform.

While YouTube gives content creators 55% of the revenue from ads displayed before their videos, Facebook will split the 55% it is offering between several creators.

“It’s not an unusual, or generous model,” said Ms Marouli. “But we could see a monetisation battle between Facebook and YouTube, to entice creators onto the platform.”

Facebook made $3.3bn (£2.1bn) in ad revenue in the first quarter of 2015, 73% of it from mobile ads.

“Facebook is very adaptable,” said Ms Marouli. “In 2012, they had zero mobile-ad revenue. In two years, they’ve raised that to over 60% of their ad income.

“Based on our forecasts, by 2018 Facebook will have 25% of online video ad revenue in Europe, and more in the US,” said Ms Marouli

Men’s Magazine Uses HIV Positive Blood To Print Edition.

A men’s magazine said it has used blood from HIV – positive people to print its latest edition in an effort to combat “the stigma and the irrational fears” surrounding the virus, Agence France-Presse reported on Tuesday.

Julian Wiehl, the editor-in-chief and founder of the Austrian “Vangardist” magazine, told AFP that the usually digital magazine will be printed in a hard copy edition using donated blood from three HIV positive people and regular ink.

“If you hold this magazine in your hands it is like holding somebody who is HIV positive,” Wiehl told AFP. “Nothing can happen, nothing can harm you holding the magazine, and nothing can harm you holding an HIV positive person.”

The “#HIVHeroes” edition of the magazine will reportedly be available for 50 euros and all proceeds from the sale of the 3,000 copies will be donated to charity.

supersonic Flight, Closer Than You Imagined

It’s been nearly a dozen years since the last flight of the Concorde. For over a quarter century, the sleek and sexy Anglo-French airplane represented the jet set era of the the late 20th Century. Ernie Edwards, a veteran of the private jet industry thinks the next passenger supersonic flights are not that far away. Last week, the former Gulfstream, Cessna and Embraer boss joined Reno-based Aerion Corporation to assist in its bid to get us flying faster again. Before EBACE in Geneva later this month, he took the time to give ForbesLife an update on where the program is, and what the future holds.

Why did you join Aerion?

“The most rewarding times in my career have been those when I had the chance to run with a new idea, and remake the industry. Aerion will do more than that. It will simply revolutionize the way the world travels. I could not ask for a more exciting opportunity.”
.

Can you give us a quick overview of the company?

“Aerion is a company in the mold of aviation pioneers who were investing in new technology to revolutionize business travel. That’s been missing for a while. With the exception of Concorde, we’ve been stuck in the subsonic realm since the 1960s, the dawn of the jet age. Aerion will change that, providing routine speeds of around Mach 1.5 in a first-generation supersonic business jet.”

How close are we to supersonic flight?

“Closer than many people imagine. We expect to have a certified aircraft in service around 2022. That’s not a long time for an advanced aircraft development program such as the Aerion AS2. While not exactly typical, the supersonic AS2 is conventional in terms of materials and systems. It breaks new ground in aerodynamics, specifically a supersonic natural laminar flow wing. This patented technology has been successfully demonstrated in supersonic test flights jointly conducted between Aerion and NASA.”

Energy Company Fries Sausage on Power Lines

Representatives of Duke Energy roasted a sausage for students last week at the Franklin County School .

The barbecue wasn’t intended as social occasion; rather it provided a graphic demonstration of what can happen to human flesh when it touches live current.

A “redneck microwave” joked one of the fourth graders, who as a group were stunned by the flaming damage that could be caused by just a momentary touch of live current from a broken power line.

Duke Energy transportable “Live Line” trailer was on hand April 30 as part of an evening demonstration for police officers, firefighters and emergency operations personnel, how to handle storm policy and mobilization.

Four linemen – Robert Douin, from Crawfordville; Austin Weaver, from Ocala; Danny Burns, from Madison; and Willie Hamrick, from Perry – plus Bruce Holley, a Dunnellon supervisor, and Brian Smith, a technical skill specialist, from Ocala, conducted the demonstration all say for the students.

Also on hand was Bobby Pickels, Duke’s community relations director for the area, who explained to the elementary and middle school students who witnessed the demos, about electrical safety.

If you hit a pole, or see a line on the ground, “get away from it and call 911,” he told them. “Do not get out of the car, if you don’t have to.”

Samsung admits the Galaxy S6 has a major problem

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are fine devices, but it appears certain handsets are experiencing performance problems, which looks like it’s down to how the smartphones are mismanaging RAM.

It’s not the amount of RAM that’s the issue, as both devices come with a hefty 3GB of the stuff, but it looks like that 3GB is filling up quickly, causing some applications to close.

When apps are used, they store information in the device’s RAM for quick access – and when that information is no longer needed it should be purged from the RAM, letting information from other apps and services use the space.

Bad shepherd

With Android phones, the apps you use regularly will remain in RAM, while unused apps will be removed. It looks like the issue is that the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are having trouble clearing the RAM, causing it to fill up.

Thankfully Samsung appears to be aware of the bug and is working on a number of ‘micro-updates’ to solve the problem.

Samsung Mobile UK posted on Facebook: “Micro-updates are in the process of being rolled out to correct issues relating to device performance and stability… Keep checking for these on your device via Settings > About device > Software update > Update now”.

• Despite this issue, we still think the Samsung Galaxy S6 is the best phone in the world

Via Talk Android