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(02/29/12 5:00am)
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found promising evidence that suggests a new biomarker for predicting an infant's chances of developing autism. The symptom for what may potentially develop into autism later in an infant's life includes the white matter fiber tract organization in its brain. The white matter of the brain consists of bundles of nerve cells, which connect various regions of the brain (grey matter) to each other. If you compare the brain to computers, the grey matter is like the computer itself, while the white matter is composed of all of the network cables that connect computer together. Participants in the study included 92 infants, who were chosen to be a part of the study due to the onset of autism in their siblings. Having siblings with autism puts one at high risk for developing autism as well. Over a period of 24 months, the infants were monitored via brain imaging scans and behavioral tests. Of the 92 subjects, 28 developed autism. The study focused on 15 white matter fiber tracts in the brain and discovered significant differences in the tracks of children with autism. Tracks are regions that connect brain pathways to one another, and the researchers found that 12 out of 15 tracks contained differences. Researchers used a scale called fractional anisotropy (FA) to measure white matter tract development. FA indicates the restriction of the movement of molecules and operates on a scale between zero and one. A value of zero means that the tested molecule is moving around with no restriction in any direction. A value of one means that the molecule is fully restricted along all directions except one. Coupled with diffusion MRI's, FA values can tell researchers the structure of white matter fibers by tracking the movement of water molecules in the brain. Infants who later developed autism had high FA values at six months after birth. By 24 months, they had lower FA values compared to infants without autism, who had slowly developed their white matter tracts. There was a clear disparity between the development of white matter tracts in the brains of infants who later developed autism and those who didn't. The aberration of fiber pathway development can be a clear biomarker for predicting the onset of autism in infants, especially for those whose siblings have already been diagnosed. This study not only suggests that autism is a whole-brain disorder, but also that the development of autism may be prevented by target intervention during the key periods of brain development in infants.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
The auditory system connects us to the outside world through sounds. Ranging from the musical tone of an orchestra performance to the annoying tapping noises your neighbor won't stop making in class, every sound is translated into the complex language neurons used to communicate. Hopkins researchers have recently discovered another explanation for why hearing loss can lead to everyday challenges. Their new study demonstrates that hearing loss increases one's risk of falling by nearly three times. The finding exposes a major public health concern that may potentially save the US billions of dollars in health care costs if addressed properly. In a normal ear, an external structure known as the pinna reflects sound waves in our surroundings and directs them to the auditory canal. The main function of the pinna is to help the brain determine the direction of the sound source. Once they reach the ear, sound waves travel through the auditory canal and eventually encounter the tympanic membrane, commonly known as the eardrum. Subsequently, the waves go through three bones - malleus, incus and stapes, that serve to increase the pressure of the waves. At a higher pressure, sound waves are able to transmit through the fluid, as they pass the oval window. At this point, the sound waves have already reached the inner ear, which consists of the cochlea and various vestibular system structures. The basilar membrane in the cochlea is arranged such that lower frequency sound waves travel further and stimulate hair cells closer to the apex of the membrane, while higher frequency sounds activate hair cells closer to the base. Stimulated hair cells depolarize, which means that there is an increase in intracellular voltage. The hair cells then transmit the signal to neurons that make up the auditory nerve, eventually leading to the temporal lobe in the brain. The temporal lobe is the cortical area primarily responsible for receiving and processing auditory stimuli. Deafness can occur when any point of this pathway is disrupted. In general, hearing loss can be separated into two categories: conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. Conductive hearing impairment occurs when the sound wave is unable to reach the inner ear, often because of damage to the eardrum or to bones in the middle ear. Sensorineural hearing impairment occurs when the inner ear isn't functioning properly. Damage to hair cells, for example, is the most common cause of sensorineural hearing impariment. Patients subjected to hearing loss may have an increased risk of falling because they are less aware of their surroundings. Additionally, these patients can experience cognitive load, which occurs when the brain is overwhelmed by limited resources, such as reduced functioning of one of its senses. In the study, the researchers tested the hearing ability of 2,017 subjects between the ages of 40-69. The subjects were asked questions about their age, sex and demographic background. They were also asked to report the number of falls they had experienced within the past year. Upon analyzing the data, the researchers found that people suffering from mild hearing loss were nearly three times more likely to fall. Other factors known to cause falls, such as increased age and cardiovascular disease, were taken into account but did not affect the findings. Hearing loss is measured using a unit called the decibel. A mild hearing loss is characterized by a measure of 25-decibel. Subjects with 25-decibel hearing loss showed a threefold increase in falls. Each subsequent 10-decibel increase raised the chances of falling by another 1.4 fold. With such a high risk of falling, researchers are hoping to develop ways of securing the safety of patients subject to hearing loss. The study will hopefully inspire new methods of preventing falls and reducing subsequent injuries.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
America is founded on the notion "that all men are created equal," and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." The founders added to the Constitution the Bill of Rights for the sole purpose of defending these rights from an encroaching federal government. Worried about the possibility of a future autocracy in America, the founders made it clear that there are certain rights that can never be repealed or abridged by government. These limits on government, they presumed, would ward off any chance of federal abuse and would ensure the protection of personal liberty. Since 9/11, though, these rights have increasingly come under attack from the federal government under the guise of homeland security. George W. Bush had a terrible history of violating civil liberties, from the Patriot Act to Guantanamo Bay, waterboarding to illegal wiretaps. But the list doesn't end there. The U.S. government has consistently abridged civil liberties in its use of extraordinary rendition, torture and indefinite detention. It endlessly violates habeas corpus and then hides its iniquity from the public, citing the need for state secrets. The government, thus, has the ability to infringe those rights protected by the founders without anybody even knowing about it. If there was anything the founders were worried about, this is it. Barack Obama ran on protecting civil liberties and repealing the Bush-era war on the American public. Obama promised to close down Guantanamo, reduce drone warfare and stop illegal wiretaps - to name a few. While Obama spewed these talking points to the public, though, he was secretly making backroom deals to continue Bush's policies. Not only did Obama not close down Guantanamo, but he has also continued most of Bush's policies of demolishing civil liberties. Not only did he re-sign the Patriot Act, but he also signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which allows for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens by the military. This doctrine ultimately culminated in Obama's order to authorize the killing of U.S. citizens without trial through drone strikes. In September of last year, Obama okayed plans to assassinate Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni cleric. Two ensuing drone strikes killed Awlaki and his 16-year-old son, another American citizen. He even refused to prosecute officials from the Bush administration for violations of U.S. laws. There is clear evidence that officials under Bush's command authorized the torture of detainees held by the United States. It's estimated that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the supposed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was waterboarded 183 times. Waterboarding is considered a form of torture and is, thus, outlawed throughout the world in the Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and even U.S. law. Obama, however, has done nothing. He has allowed those who have probably committed atrocious crimes to avoid standing trial and being held accountable. Moreover, he increased the drone war and continues to kill innocent civilians around the world. Recently, Congress has even pushed for drone surveillance on the American public. Many of the Bush-era policies are still in place, including military commissions, extraordinary renditions, state secrets and egregious dismantling of habeas corpus. Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact that the public seems to be warming to such rights infringements. Recently, a poll was conducted on whether to keep Guantanamo Bay open: 53 percent of self-identified "liberal Democrats" and 67 percent of "moderate or conservative" Democrats favored keeping Gitmo open. A staggering 77 percent of "liberal Democrats" support the use of drone strikes, 58 percent of Democrats and 55 percents of "liberals" support drone strikes on American citizens, without due process or trial. We are clearly seeing a widespread dismantling of civil liberties, supported by a majority of those in both parties. This blatant disregard for civil rights is no longer strictly right wing ideology. What's more, it seems liberals are okay with their own hypocrisy: If Obama says it's okay, liberals seem to profess, then we should all be in favor of stripping civil rights. We Americans need to realize that our natural rights do not come from political parties or the government. They were endowed to us by our Creator, and they cannot be taken away. It is time to take a stand for them. It is time to defend what our forefathers considered our most sacred rights and liberties. We need to stop playing party politics and ensure our own safety from the encroaching federal government our founders so utterly feared.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
In 2008, the Federal Reserve decided to bail out multiple financial firms through the $700 billion program known as TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program). TARP was met with an understandably high amount of criticism and opposition. Many felt that it was a gift to the banks that had recklessly caused the financial crisis, and that it would cause "moral hazard" within the financial industry, since banks would believe that the government would always bail them out. While TARP was a handout to the financial sector, we cannot ignore the fact that it was a necessary act that the federal government needed to undertake. If TARP had not been passed, we would have seen a systemic failure in the U.S. economy, which would have well caused a second Great Depression in the U.S. and around the world. TARP stabilized the American economy and set a platform for future growth in America. In fact, out of the $700 billion that was loaned out, the Federal Reserve returned a profit of over $25 billion. Just this week, the Federal Reserve sold off its assets in AIG's mortgage backed securities for a $2.8 billion dollar profit. This was a profit for the taxpayers and a testament to the success of TARP. TARP can even be used as a model for other countries that face risks of systemic failure as well. It makes much more sense to keep liquidity in the financial markets than to allow for a bank to fail. The financial system of America is set up as a peripheral network of firms. Each financial firm will hold accounts in every other financial firm. Therefore, if one bank goes bankrupt, all of the other banks are negatively affected because their holdings in the failed bank are wiped out. This is exactly what happened when Lehman Brothers was allowed to fail. Every other major bank on Wall Street was on the verge of collapse. Letting Lehman Brothers fail was a mistake, and, had we saved Lehman, it is very likely that the financial crisis would not have blown up into as large of a problem. When Lehman failed, the credit markets immediately froze, and all short term lending was halted. This prevented businesses from taking out payroll loans to pay employees. Instead, the credit markets would have been fine if Lehman were rescued, and even though we would have had to still bail out every other bank, we would not have seen the Dow plunge more than 7,000 points, and we would not have incurred such a severe recession. We would have had a significantly smaller recession that would not have cost us as many American jobs. Thus, America should be very content with TARP and its effect on the American economy. It staved off what would have been the worst economic plight since the Great Depression. It also put us on this path to economic recovery in which our gross domestic product has continued to grow, and the stock market has made a recovery from its lows in 2008. With Greece and other Eurozone countries literally up in flames over their economic crises, the U.S. has been able to avoid outright calamity. And most importantly, TARP has succeeded in restoring Americans' faith in the U.S. economy.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
A referee died after collapsing from a heart attack while officiating a Hopkins club lacrosse game against the University of Maryland on the recreation center practice turf this past Saturday, Feb. 25.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
Senior Hannah Joo, a neuroscience major, was recently awarded the Churchill Scholarship. The award includes a grant to participate in a 10 month program at Cambridge University.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
Hopkins Honeybeess, a student group that started keeping beehives last year, is now becoming an official student group on campus. Junior Caitlin Rosner, who is the president of Hopkins Honeybees, began beekeeping in high school and wanted to bring that experience to Hopkins students.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
Over 130 students gathered in the Glass Pavilion Monday night for the Alexander Hamilton Society's (AHS) Nuclear Zero vs. Nuclear Deterrence Debate. Professor Daniel Deudney debated RAND Corporation adjunct staff member Elbridge Colby on the feasibility and desirability of a world without nuclear weapons.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
Hopkins's annual Tournées Festival of Contemporary French Cinema launched its third year on Tuesday. The festival showcases six recent French films that address an array of political questions and social issues.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
Hopkins fraternities of the Inter-Fraternity Council have completed their recruitment for the spring semester.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
Engineers Without Borders (EWB) hosted its annual Dessert Reception and Project Showcase fundraiser this past Sunday evening. EWB professional partners, sponsors and interested professionals attended the event, which showcased the current EWB projects and featured presentations by executive members of EWB-USA.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
The annual Foreign Affairs Symposium hosted Jon Ashcroft, former Attorney General during the George W. Bush administration, this past Tuesday in Shriver Hall. His presentation to the Hopkins community surrounded the precarious issue of freedom in American society.
(02/29/12 5:00am)
About 40 friends, family members, classmates and peers congregated at 116 East University Parkway on Sunday to remember Hopkins student Nathan Krasnopoler one year after his fatal bike accident.
(02/23/12 5:00am)
If you're at a loss for something to do over the weekend, why not check out the Baltimore Museum of Art? It's right down the road on Art Museum Drive, and admission is always free, so really, there's no excuse not to check it out.
(02/23/12 5:00am)
It seems as though every weekend is a struggle between my desire to make plans - even if it is just to get food at some establishment I happen to be craving - and homework.
(02/23/12 5:00am)
When we talk about animated movies, the first name off our lips is Pixar.
(02/23/12 5:00am)
This Single of the Week, "Fallen From The Sky" comes from Canadian band The Lake Effect.
(02/23/12 5:00am)
The News-Letter interviews Word Planet, an online undergraduate literary magazine, about how they're creating a virtual literary universe. In an e-mail to The News-Letter, Jacob H. Levin, the Business and Advertising Director, gave insight into the group's work.
(02/23/12 5:00am)
Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection Gift at the Walters Art Museum is a collection of 135 artworks that spans a massive time frame from 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1530 (when the Spanish arrived), as well as the three major geo-political regions of Mesoamerica, Central America and Andean South America.
(02/23/12 5:00am)
Rachel McAdams loses her memory and has her handsome co-star attempt to bring it back. Sound familiar? The Vow has a premise slightly similar to The Notebook, except this time, Channing Tatum is McAdams' co-star instead of Ryan Gosling. And that's where this movie went wrong.
