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Your smartphone just got smarter.
A device invented by biomedical engineers at Columbia University turns a smartphone into a lab that can test human blood for the virus that causes AIDS or the bacteria that cause syphilis.
The researchers got the idea for the device when examining the costs and the logistical difficulties of getting equipment for HIV testing to rural areas or developing countries.
Learn more about the device here.
The brain’s social network: Nerve cells interact like friends on Facebook
Nerve cells form a bewildering meshwork of connections called synapses – up to several thousand per cell. Yet not all synaptic connections are equal. The overwhelming majority of connections are weak, and cells make only very few strong links. “We wanted to see if there are rules that explain how neurons connect in complex networks comprising millions of neurons,” says Professor Thomas Mrsic-Flogel, the leader of the research team from the Biozentrum (University of Basel) and UCL (University College London). “It turns out that one of the rules is quite simple. Like-minded neurons are strongly coupled, while neurons that behave very differently from each other connect weakly or not at all.”
Strong connections between close friends
The researchers focused on the visual area of the cerebral cortex, which receives information from the eye and gives rise to visual perception. Neurons in this part of the brain respond to particular visual patterns, but it is difficult to untangle which cells are synaptically connected because there are many thousands of them densely packed (close to 100.000 per cubic millimeter).
Using a combination of high resolution imaging and sensitive electrical measurements, the researchers found that connections between nearby neurons are organized like a social network. Sites like Facebook keep us in contact with large numbers of acquaintances, but most people have a much smaller circle of close friends. These are usually the friends with which we have most in common, and their opinions can be more important to us than the views of the rest.
"Weak contacts in the brain have little impact, despite being in the majority," says Mrsic-Flogel. “The few strong connections from neurons with similar functions exert the strongest influence on the activity of their partners. This could help them work together to amplify specific information from the outside world.”
Weak connections could be important for learning
But why do neurons share such large numbers of weak connections? “We think this might have to do with learning,” says Dr Lee Cossell, one of the lead authors of the study. “If neurons need to change their behavior, weak connections are already in place to be strengthened, perhaps ensuring rapid plasticity in the brain.” As a result, the brain could quickly adapt to changes in the environment.
This research is part of worldwide effort to shed light on how the brain generates perceptions, thoughts and actions by mapping the brain’s wiring diagram. “It reveals how networks of neurons interact together to process information. Understanding how neurons connect will pave the way for building detailed computer simulations of the brain,” says Mrsic-Flogel. Research that explores how neurons connect will also be important for understanding neurological diseases. “If we know what the pattern of connections in the brain should look like, then we can start to figure out what happens when things go wrong, for example, in schizophrenia or autism,” adds Mrsic-Flogel.
Original source Lee Cossell, Maria Florencia Iacaruso, Dylan R. Muir, Rachael Houlton, Elie N. Sader, Ho Ko, Sonja B. Hofer, Thomas D. Mrsic-Flogel Functional organization of excitatory synaptic strength in primary visual cortex Nature, published online 4 February 2015
Sometimes a simple yet well-crafted presentation can engage more of your students and even encourage class participation. Here are some teacher-tested tools that may help you with your presentations.
KIND & GENEROUS SPONSOR Annotate.net - Engage your class using your tablet....
It's our last #moviemonday of the semester! Don't get too stressed with finals, and remember to take breaks! And a great way to take a break is to watch a movie! Stop by the Learning Lab and check out "Teddy Bear" about a Danish body builders search for love.
Wisconsin winter is coming, so this weeks #moviemonday is an Italian film that takes us to a beautiful island on the Mediterranean Sea. Come check out "Respiro", the story of a free-spirited women's adventure and escape the cold!
Just a couple more days of classes and then it's time for Thanksgiving! Come on down to the Learning Lab and check out our #moviemonday "Babette's Feast" in either Danish or French. It will be sure to get you in the Thanksgiving mood!
Love the book or movie Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I bet you haven't seen it in Swedish! Come check out this weeks #moviemonday that was the top selling film in Sweden!
In honor of tomorrow's election, this weeks #moviemonday is a Spanish film about how advertising can end a fifteen year dictatorship.
Our labbies always get spooked when they have to take a trip to this dark and creepy storage room. It is filled with such old technology you would think there were ghosts with you! 👻 #SpookyUW
Tomorrow the first stages of #LSSBridge begin! #TipTuesday will bring instructors advice, facts and tips about how other @uwmadison instructors are using tech for innovative teaching and learning. Be sure to check it out!
In honor of next weeks #gobigread keynote at @uwmadison, stop by LSS and check out our collection of films related to women's rights and education, including this weeks #moviemonday "The Patience Stone", a film about woman finding her own voice.
It's #ColumbusDay and this weeks #moviemonday is a Spanish film, "Even The Rain," about a director and producer that traveled to Bolivia to film a movie about Christopher Columbus's conquest of the New World. Instead, they found themselves in a moral crisis during the 2000 Cochabamba protests. Check out the drama today, 259 Van Hise.
Ever seen a wuxia film? If you haven't, a wuxia film is a genre of Chinese fiction that focuses on martial arts. Expand your horizons and check out this weeks #moviemonday "House of Flying Daggers," that combines martial arts with a love story that will be sure to entertain you!
14 unexpected Little Free Libraries at Paste Magazine.
In honor of Banned Book Week, take advantage of Little Free Libraries around Madison! Did you know one of the founders is from the University of Wisconsin?! Whether it is to take a book or give a book, Little Free Libraries are an awesome way to expand your knowledge and creativity. Rather watch than read? Come to the LSS Learning Lab in 259 Van Hise Hall and check out the great foreign film selection we have!
Banned Books Week LSS Style: Banned Movie Monday!
This week, September 21-27 is Banned Books Week celebrating the freedom to read. We decided to do our own spin on it and this week we are taking our weekly #moviemonday and featuring two banned films: Persepolis and The Blue Kite!
Persepolis:
Persepolis is a French film that takes place in Iran. It follows the story of a young girl, Marjane, in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. The animated film follows her struggles living in Iran as an outspoken nine-year-old against the tyranny.
The film debuted in Lebanon, but it was banned after clerics found it to be "offensive to Iran and Islam." However, after outcry by Lebanese intellectual and political circles the ban was lifted.
Persepolis was later was an Academy Award Nominee for the Best Animated Feature in 2007.
The Blue Kite:
The Blue Kite is a Chinese film that follows one family through the eyes of, Tietou, a young boy during the Cultural Revolution in the 1950's and 60's in China. The film was banned and deemed so offensive that the director, Tian Zhuangzhuang, was banned from making films for 10 years!
We hope you enjoy our featured #moviemonday. Let us know if you have any other favorite banned films!
Are you a foodie? Do you want to take a trip to the South of France? Then this weeks #moviemonday is for you! Stop by the Learning Lab today and check out "Step Up To The Plate," a New York Times Critics Pick.