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大家好！胖胖翔今天介绍的科技文比较贴近生活，以前经常选用难度较大的science和nature的文章。这次的难度比以往有所下降，希望大家提供宝贵的意见！
Part I：Speed
【Time 1】
Seismic Data Set Could Improve Earthquake Forecasting
PAVIA, ITALY—Sumatra 2004. Wenchuan 2008. Haiti 2010. Japan 2011. In each case, the story was the same: An earthquake struck without warning, taking thousands of lives and smashing buildings like sand castles.
Geoscientists still can't predict when a major quake will strike, and many have given up trying. But many do try to issue more general forecasts of hazards and potential damage. This week, researchers added a potentially powerful new tool to their kit: the largest seismic database of its kind ever constructed, based on tens of thousands of earthquake records stretching back more than 1000 years. Together with a new global map of strain accumulation at plate boundaries, the data sets will form the core of an international public-private partnership intended to reshape the science of earthquake forecasting. The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation, which has been developing the seismic risk platform since 2009, unveiled key components of it at a meeting here, called Reveal 2013. "To advance the science of earthquake forecasting we must enhance the data," GEM co-founder Ross Stein told the opening session. Stein, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and a handful of other disaster experts proposed the project in 2006, with the aim of bringing a systematic and open approach to a discipline that had previously been hampered by disparate methods. "Everyone knew we needed to do this," Stein says. "No one was willing to put the money up. GEM did."
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【Time 2】
To develop the new maps, researchers refigured the magnitudes and locations of nearly a thousand historic earthquakes dating back to 1000 C.E. according to strict, uniform new criteria. Using modern algorithms, they also recalculated seismogram records of 20,000 earthquakes over the past 100 years at a cost of €1 million. To get a handle on the driving force behind most earthquakes, other geoscientists reappraised the movements of Earth's tectonic plates to estimate the rate of deformation at plate boundaries. In all, they deduced 20,000 velocities from measurements at 70,000 stations around the world. GEM says that the software used to analyze the data, known as OpenQuake, will be publicly released next year to set a uniform and open standard in hazard calculations.
GEM hopes to develop better ways to calculate both seismic hazard—the probability that earthquakes will occur over the next 50 years—and seismic risk, the casualties and economic losses likely to result. Risk is of particular interest to the insurance companies that fund much of GEM's research. At the meeting, researchers unveiled an ambitious new project to assess the quality of building stocks around the world, using national data sets, satellite imagery, and on-the-street censuses recorded by smart phone apps. Reveal 2013 participants say that they are impressed by the partnership's rapid progress. "We do have our own world map of natural hazards," says Anselm Smolka of the insurance firm Munich Re, which has donated €5 million to the program. "But with a team of just 20, we cannot do more. We need cooperation. GEM gives industry access to a global network of scientists."
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【Time 3】
Seth Stein, a geophysicist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a longtime critic of quake forecasting, says that he welcomes the attempt to bring clarity to the field. But he warns that no amount of data collection can overcome the deep uncertainties inherent in Earth faulting processes. For example, he says, even a complete 2000-year history of seismic shaking in China would have given planners no clues to the three most devastating events that have struck since 1950. "GEM is doing a good job of improving the things that can be improved," says Seth Stein (who is not related to Ross Stein). "So a better record will help us some. But whether it will ever be adequate to allow us to fully characterize the probability of events, my guess is probably no." Ross Stein acknowledges the need for humility in the face of Earth's complexities: "We must tell the public what we know; and we must tell them what we don't know—in language they understand."
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Resource: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/06/seismic-data-set-could-improve-e.html?ref=hp
【Time 4】
Prediabetes Risk Factors 5 Signs You Might Be at Risk for Diabetes
Incredibly, one in four Americans over age 20 has prediabetes -- and most don't even know it. Being prediabetic means that your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but short of being classified as diabetic levels. Studies show that most people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, unless they lose weight and make dietary and exercise changes. Because prediabetes develops gradually over years, it's often said that there are no obvious symptoms. But it's possible to notice certain warning signs of growing insulin resistance, the inability to process the energy in food properly that's a key aspect of prediabetes, says Beth Reardon, director of nutrition for Duke Integrative Medicine at Duke University. Paying close attention to such warning signs gives you plenty of time to make changes before the situation progresses to type 2 diabetes, she says. "These symptoms usually occur in tandem with one another; together they create a bigger picture that says insulin resistance is going on," Reardon says. "Some signs can be measured, some we feel, some we can just see." If you're experiencing the following signs, you should ask your doctor about an insulin response test to measure your insulin and blood sugar levels. If the tests confirm that your body is starting to have trouble managing its glucose, it may be incentive for you to commit to the diet and exercise changes that can help move you away from the path toward diabetes.
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【Time 5】
What Feeling Tired and Sluggish After Eating Might Mean
Ready to nap right after a big meal? This is a normal response to an influx of carbs (think of that post-Thanksgiving dinner feeling). But if it happens often, your body may be sending a message that your diet is too diabetes-friendly. After eating, all carbohydrates -- whether in a doughnut or a carrot -- are broken down into the bloodstream as glucose (blood sugar), the body's main energy source. When the blood containing the glucose hits the pancreas, this organ gets the message to release insulin, a hormone it produces to help the cells throughout the body use glucose. Cells have insulin receptors that allow glucose to enter and either be stored as future energy or used right away. It's a great system. But a diet that's high in simple carbs like sugar, white flour, and sweet beverages -- especially when consumed in large quantities at one sitting -- overwhelms it. According to Reardon, the cells' insulin receptors eventually stop receiving the insulin, which means they can't take in the glucose. The glucose builds up in the blood while the needy cells don't get any. The pancreas, meanwhile, notes the glucose level is still high in the blood that flows through it, and it pumps out still more insulin in response. Net result: You feel sleepy and may find it hard to think, because your brain and body are depleted until the system rights itself. "Over time, this cycle can cause someone to become chronically insulin resistant. The body simply can't keep up with the demands that all those simple sugars and fats are placing on it," Reardon says.
What helps: Slow your carb load. Choose more complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains (barley, oats, quinoa, spelt, brown rice), vegetables, and whole fruits (not juices) that the body has to work harder to digest. This means blood sugar stays stable longer. Move around right after eating -- take a 15-minute walk; even washing the dishes helps -- rather than plopping in front of the TV. The activity will help your body begin to process the big glucose intake faster and more efficiently. In fact, a Mayo Clinic study presented at the 2011 American Diabetes Association annual meeting reported blood sugar levels rose only half as much after eating in a group that was moderately active after a meal, compared to a control group that ate, then rested.
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Resource: http://www.caring.com/articles/5-early-warning-signs-of-diabetes
Part II： Obstacle
【Time 6】
Are Dogs Now Just Furry Kids?
The Summer of 2013 officially began only last Friday, but already it has a good shot at achieving a dubious distinction in the annals of parental indulgence. This could be the summer that ice cream trucks for dogs go mainstream. Ever since the K99 ice cream truck set up shop in the parks of London during the summer of 2010–to the tune of the Scooby Doo theme song, no less–the trend of cruising trucks full of specially-made canine ice cream treats and cookies has been spreading and appears to be hitting its jaunty stride. Last summer, they started dropping by dog parks in more and more American cities, confident in the knowledge that all it takes is one person ponying up $3 for a doggie cone and in no time, every other dog owner in the vicinity will feel compelled to do the same for their own little precious. And now, according to a story on NBC’s website this weekend, some of the more successful dog food trucks are talking about franchising their brands. This was inevitable, I suppose, given all the singles whose significant other has paws, and all the aging Baby Boomers whose own kids have moved out, or at least down to the basement. These days, dog love swings easily into sweet, excessive indulgence. Among recent examples of ideas whose time apparently has come are a device developed by a San Francisco firm that allows pet owners to track how active their dog is during the day while they’re at work, and a high-end dog food whose main ingredient is ground-up chicken feathers. It’s designed for dogs with food allergies.
Kid stuff Products like those get much of the media attention, yet some of the more interesting developments in the deepening entanglement of dogs and owners have not been in the marketplace, but in scientific laboratories. Researchers have been focusing on the potent bond between dogs and owners, particularly how it affects a pet’s behavior. For instance, a study done at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, published last week in the journal PLOS ONE, found that connections between dogs and their owners can have striking similarities to parent-child relationships. Okay, no surprise there, but what they learned about how it influences a dog’s confidence was pretty revealing. Specifically, they saw that, as in parent-child bonding, dogs use their caregivers as a “secure base” from which to interact with the world around them. In this case, the dogs could earn a food reward by manipulating toys. But they showed much less interest in working for a treat when their owners weren’t around. If they were there, it didn’t seem to make much difference if the owner was silent or encouraging. What mattered was their presence. And it couldn’t be just any human–the dogs weren’t very motivated when a stranger was in the room with them. Only when their owners were nearby did they go after the food with gusto. Said researcher Lisa Horn, “One of the things that really surprised us is, that adult dogs behave towards their caregivers like human children do.”
Dark thoughts Then there was the study published earlier this year in the journal Animal Cognition, which concluded that dogs are much more likely to steal food if they think nobody can see them. Again, big surprise, right? Anyone with a dog knows that even the most guileless mutt becomes a creature of cunning when food is involved. But there’s a larger lesson here. What the research actually determined was that dogs were four times more likely to sneak food in a dark room than a lighted room. Which suggests that they can understand when a human can or cannot see them. And that could mean that dogs are capable of understanding a human’s point of view. Explained lead researcher Juliane Kaminski: “Humans constantly attribute certain qualities and emotions to other living things. We know that our own dog is clever or sensitive, but that’s us thinking, not them.The results of these tests suggest that dogs are deciding it’s safer to steal the food when the room is dark because they understand something of the human’s perspective.”
In dogs we trust Here are other recent studies on the dog-human connection:
Beware of southpaws: According to researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia, dogs that show a preference for using their left paws are more aggressive toward strangers than dogs that are right-pawed or show no preference. But they also found that left-pawed dogs were no more excitable or attention-seeking than other dogs. Only about 10 percent of humans are left-handed, but there’s an even split between left-pawed, right-pawed, and ambilateral canines. Fortunately, humans have refrained from chasing their butts: It turns out that Doberman pinschers with canine compulsive disorder (CCD) have similar abnormalities in their brain structure as humans with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). That makes scientists more hopeful that further research in CCD–exhibited in dogs by blanket-sucking, tail-chasing, and chewing–could help lead to new therapies for OCD in humans. Thanks for sharing: If you have a dog, you no doubt realize that it brings a lot of bacteria into your home. What you may not realize is that’s not a bad thing. For instance, skin microbes, note scientists at North Carolina State University, can help you fight off diseases. Particularly high levels of microbes related to dogs were found on pillowcases and, strangely enough, TV screens. Except when they pee on the rug: No source less than the American Heart Association says that owning a dog can be good for your heart. The organization issued a statement to that effect last month following a scientific review of research showing that dog owners not only get more exercise, but also can have their stress levels and heart rates lowered by the presence of their pets. If dogs were on Facebook, they’d like everything: And finally, a survey by the research firm Mintel found that almost half of those who participated said that their pets are better for their social lives than being on Facebook or Twitter. Also, according to the survey, almost one out of five Millenials who own a dog or cat have a pet-related app on their smartphones.
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Resource: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/ideas/2013/06/are-dogs-now-just-furry-kids/
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发表于 2013-7-2 22:42:39
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