Scientists Discover Substance That Causes Pain

Finding could lead to development of non-addictive painkillers, study suggests

By Robert Preidt

WEDNESDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) -- The human body produces a substance similar to capsaicin -- which makes chili peppers hot -- at sites of pain, and blocking production of this substance can ease pain, a new study shows.

The findings may lead to the development of non-addictive painkillers, according to the researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

In work with mice, the scientists found that a family of fatty acids called oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OLAMs) play an important role in the biology of pain.

"This is a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms of pain and how to more effectively treat it," senior investigator Kenneth Hargreaves, chair of the Department of Endodontics in the Dental School at the UT Health Sciences Center, said in an UT news release.

"These data demonstrate, for the first time, that OLAMs constitute a new family of naturally occurring capsaicin-like agents, and may explain the role of these substances in many pain conditions. This hypothesis suggests that agents blocking either the production or action of these substances could lead to new therapies and pharmacological interventions for various inflammatory diseases and pain disorders such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and others, including pain associated with cancer."

The researchers developed two new classes of analgesic drugs that target OLAMs.

"Nearly everyone will experience persistent pain at some point in their lifetime," Dr. Hargreaves said. "Our findings are truly exciting because they will offer physicians, dentists and patients more options in prescription pain medications. In addition, they may help circumvent the problem of addiction and dependency to pain medications, and will have the potential to benefit millions of people who suffer from chronic pain every day."

The research was published April 26 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Cook County Officer Named Director of Chicago Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory

April 29, 2010 - Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was joined today by the Board of Directors of the Chicago Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory (RCFL) in announcing that a Cook County Sheriff’s Police Officer has been named as Director of the Chicago digital evidence processing and recovery center.

John T. Dziedzic, a 13-year veteran of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department, was named Director by the laboratory’s board, succeeding FBI Special Agent Keith Johnson, who returned to Washington, D.C. last month, where he was assigned to the Office of the Directorate of Intelligence. Investigator Dziedzic has served as the Acting Director of the laboratory since March and has been the Assistant Director of the facility since 2007. Investigator Dziedzic began his service at the Chicago RCFL as a digital forensic examiner in October of 2005 and is the first non-FBI employee to head the Chicago laboratory.

In announcing the selection of Investigator Dziedzic as the new Director of the RCFL, Mr. Grant noted the significant contribution that the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has made to the laboratory since its inception in 2004. Said Mr. Grant: “As a founding member of the Chicago RCFL, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has played a significant role in the development of the facility. With the selection of Investigator Dziedzic as the new director, they are now playing an even greater role in providing digital forensic services to law enforcement agencies throughout the Chicago area.”

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart added: “John is a phenomenal employee who has always shown a natural aptitude for computer forensics, as well as great leadership skills. We are proud of John and the work he’s done and are gratified to see that others also recognize his many talents. We know that he will continue to represent the department well in his new capacity.”

Located at 610 South Canal Street, the Chicago RCFL opened in 2004. The RCFL recently earned accreditation from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors for the storage, examination and processing of digital and multi-media evidence. The Chicago facility was the fourth digital evidence laboratory of its kind to open in the U.S., although there are now 16 similar facilities in operation nationwide.

Although funded by the Department of Justice, the Chicago RCFL is a collaborative effort of both the FBI and participating agencies. At present, personnel from the Chicago, Lombard, Joliet and Palatine Police Departments, the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and the City of Chicago’s - Office of Inspector General are assigned to the Chicago facility. All personnel assigned to the RCFL are certified by the FBI as computer forensic examiners and must adhere to strict operational policies and procedures.

New Air Force cyberspace badge guidelines released

4/27/2010 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz has approved the new cyberspace badge and associated wear criteria.

In his Apr. 21 memorandum, General Schwartz set forth guidelines and addressed standard eligibility requirements for officers working in the cyberspace domain. Eligibility criteria for enlisted personnel are slated for release in a future message.

Maj. Gen. Michael Basla, Air Force Space Command vice commander, who will wear the new badge, highlighted its significance.

"The Air Force mission -- to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace -- acknowledges the significance and interrelationship of our three operational domains in effective warfighting. The establishment of the Air Force cyberspace badge underscores the crucial operational nature of the cyberspace mission," General Basla said.

Lt. Gen. William T. Lord, the Air Force's chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer said the new badge reflects the importance of cyber operations.

"The Air Force's cyberspace operators must focus on operational rigor and mission assurance in order to effectively establish, control and leverage cyberspace capabilities," he said. "The new cyberspace operator badge identifies our cyberspace professionals with the requisite education, training and experience to operate in this new critical domain. The badge symbolizes this new operational mindset and the Air Force's commitment to operationalize the cyberspace domain."

The new badge is authorized in three levels: basic, senior and master. Badge level eligibility criteria are consistent with those listed in Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel. The guidance for the cyberspace badge will be included in the next revision of the AFI.

Certain officers are "grandfathered" and eligible to wear the new badge. Officers converting from the 33S to the 17D Air Force Specialty Code on April 30 are authorized the basic cyberspace badge. Officers may continue to wear the communications and information badge at the authorized level until Oct. 1, 2011.

Upon completing the Distance Learning Cyberspace Operations Transition Course -- the "X- course," Undergraduate Network Warfare Training or meeting criteria for upgrade, officers who earned the senior or master level communications and information badge are authorized to wear that same level of the cyberspace badge.

Officers from other AFSCs who have completed the X-course and have at least one year of cyberspace experience since Jan. 1, 2006, also are eligible to wear the cyberspace badge. The 17D career field manager is coordinating with Air Force Space Command's Space and Cyberspace Professional Management Office to identify eligible officers.

Beyond the grandfathering period, standard eligibility criteria will apply and officers will be identified in orders published by the commander of Air Force Space Command, who is responsible for cyberspace force development.

The AFSPC commander, in conjunction with the Air Staff functional authorities responsible for cyberspace-related specialties, will regularly approve authorization orders listing additional officers who have earned the badge.

The design element of the badge holds significant meaning. The lightning bolt wings signify the cyberspace domain while the globe signifies the projection of cyber power world-wide. The globe, combined with lightning bolt wings, signifies the Air Force's common communications heritage. The bolted wings, centered on the globe, are a design element from the Air Force seal signifying the striking power through air, space and cyberspace. The orbits signify the space dimension of the cyberspace domain.

The new badge is equal in precedence to the aeronautical and space badges. Those awarded multiples of the cyberspace, aeronautical and space badges must wear the cyberspace badge above the others while serving in a cyberspace billet.

Humanoid Robot

NASA Outlines Big Plans for Humanoid Robot

April 29, 2010: Astronauts on board the International Space Station will soon have a new roommate--and it's not human.

It's a humanoid.

In Sept. 2010, space shuttle Discovery will deliver Robonaut 2--"R2" for short--to the ISS, where it will become the first humanoid robot to travel and work in space. Developed jointly by NASA and General Motors, R2 looks a bit like C-3PO of Star Wars fame but lacks the chatty robot's gift of gab. That's okay, because the humans on board need a worker that can wield more useful tools than a sharp tongue.

"Our goal is for R2 to perform routine maintenance tasks, freeing up the station crew for more important work," explains Ron Diftler, Robonaut Project Manager at Johnson Space Center. "Here's a robot that can see the objects it's going after, feel the environment, and adjust to it as needed. That's pretty human. It opens up endless possibilities!"

The team hopes to teach R2 to do all kinds of things on the space station. For example, R2 might do delicate tasks like set up science experiments for the crew, or it might just as easily run a vacuum cleaner.

R2 won't be given free run of the ship, at least not right away. Initially, the new robot will be fastened to one location in the station's Destiny Lab, but the goal is for R2 to later move about.

"We want to give R2 one leg to grab on and anchor itself to different places. It will use its hands to move itself around from place to place inside the station much like an astronaut moves around."

First, R2 must be tested and evaluated for zero-g and other space environment effects. Then it will slowly earn its stripes by progressing from simple tasks, like monitoring its own health, to more complicated jobs.

The ground team and the ISS crew will control the robot with identical systems, each comprising a GUI (graphical user interface) on a computer screen and pushbutton navigation.

"R2 operates under 'supervised autonomy,' " says Diftler."It can think for itself within the limits we give it. We'll send it scripts – sequences of commands."

That's how, for example, the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are controlled. But there's a difference.

"Our robot can 'see,' and it takes only 2 to 6 seconds for the video to get to us, so we can observe in near real time. (For comparison, the one-way video travel time from Mars is typically more than 10 minutes.) If we see R2 doing something that isn't working, we can immediately tell it, 'Stop that. Try this instead.'"

Diftler likens working with R2 to supervising a new employee. "At first you'd give them lots of detailed instructions, but later, once you work out any problem areas, you'd just check in on them once in a while."

His team will continue, however, to improve the space-bound robot's opportunities for advancement. "For instance, as we develop this robot more fully, its vision system will allow us to fine tune its movements. We'll be able to adjust how R2 reaches out to grab a target."

With the simple addition of legs or wheels, R2 could someday scout an area on a planet or asteroid where humans might land, or it could set up and take down workstations or a habitat.

Eventually, R2 could become such a familiar member of the crew, astronauts will find themselves saying "excuse me" when they bump into the humanoid. But how will R2 respond?

Adding speech is relatively easy, according to Diftler, but not a priority at the moment. "R2 will be working alone a lot. It won't really need to talk."

C-3PO once called R2D2 an "overweight glob of grease." Maybe it's just fine to leave this robot speechless for now.

Humanoid Robot

NASA Outlines Big Plans for Humanoid Robot


April 29, 2010: Astronauts on board the International Space Station will soon have a new roommate--and it's not human.
It's a humanoid.
In Sept. 2010, space shuttle Discovery will deliver Robonaut 2--"R2" for short--to the ISS, where it will become the first humanoid robot to travel and work in space. Developed jointly by NASA and General Motors, R2 looks a bit like C-3PO of Star Wars fame but lacks the chatty robot's gift of gab. That's okay, because the humans on board need a worker that can wield more useful tools than a sharp tongue.

"Our goal is for R2 to perform routine maintenance tasks, freeing up the station crew for more important work," explains Ron Diftler, Robonaut Project Manager at Johnson Space Center. "Here's a robot that can see the objects it's going after, feel the environment, and adjust to it as needed. That's pretty human. It opens up endless possibilities!"

The team hopes to teach R2 to do all kinds of things on the space station. For example, R2 might do delicate tasks like set up science experiments for the crew, or it might just as easily run a vacuum cleaner.

R2 won't be given free run of the ship, at least not right away. Initially, the new robot will be fastened to one location in the station's Destiny Lab, but the goal is for R2 to later move about.

"We want to give R2 one leg to grab on and anchor itself to different places. It will use its hands to move itself around from place to place inside the station much like an astronaut moves around."

First, R2 must be tested and evaluated for zero-g and other space environment effects. Then it will slowly earn its stripes by progressing from simple tasks, like monitoring its own health, to more complicated jobs.

The ground team and the ISS crew will control the robot with identical systems, each comprising a GUI (graphical user interface) on a computer screen and pushbutton navigation.

"R2 operates under 'supervised autonomy,' " says Diftler."It can think for itself within the limits we give it. We'll send it scripts – sequences of commands."

That's how, for example, the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are controlled. But there's a difference.

"Our robot can 'see,' and it takes only 2 to 6 seconds for the video to get to us, so we can observe in near real time. (For comparison, the one-way video travel time from Mars is typically more than 10 minutes.) If we see R2 doing something that isn't working, we can immediately tell it, 'Stop that. Try this instead.'"

Diftler likens working with R2 to supervising a new employee. "At first you'd give them lots of detailed instructions, but later, once you work out any problem areas, you'd just check in on them once in a while."

His team will continue, however, to improve the space-bound robot's opportunities for advancement. "For instance, as we develop this robot more fully, its vision system will allow us to fine tune its movements. We'll be able to adjust how R2 reaches out to grab a target."

With the simple addition of legs or wheels, R2 could someday scout an area on a planet or asteroid where humans might land, or it could set up and take down workstations or a habitat.

Eventually, R2 could become such a familiar member of the crew, astronauts will find themselves saying "excuse me" when they bump into the humanoid. But how will R2 respond?

Adding speech is relatively easy, according to Diftler, but not a priority at the moment. "R2 will be working alone a lot. It won't really need to talk."

C-3PO once called R2D2 an "overweight glob of grease." Maybe it's just fine to leave this robot speechless for now.

Nokia 5340 Nuron Review Specs Price Apps Manual

Nokia 5340 Nuron candy-bar-style, touchscreen phone has enough features to make it a reasonable concierge and a first-rate navigator. The Nuron is the first U.S. handset from Nokia to feature the company’s free turn-by-turn navigation with Ovi Maps, and it also offers access to Nokia’s version of an app market, the Ovi Store.

The phone isn’t going to win any design awards, but it’s relatively compact, measuring 4.4 by 2.0 by 0.6 inches, and relatively light at about 4 ounces. It offers memory expansion via a microSD slot on the side (a 4GB card is included), has a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack, and includes features that are requisite today: a camera, GPS, and an accelerometer.

Unlike more-sensitive capacitive touchscreens, the Nuron’s balky resistive screen can try one’s patience. Even with the benefit of vibrating haptic feedback, you’ll find yourself repeatedly tapping icons. (The inconsistent interface of the Symbian OS doesn’t help: Some functions require one tap; others, two taps.) The on-screen keyboard is similarly hampered, but the print recognition software is less error-prone and works well with one’s fingernail or the included guitar-pick stylus.

Despite the imperfect touchscreen, you’ll still find plenty to like on the Nuron. Its built-in video and music player handles all the major formats, such as MP3, MP4, AAC, eAAC+, MPEG4-AVC, and WMV9. It also has a built-in FM radio, although it works only when headphones are plugged in.

The Nuron has apps for YouTube and Facebook, too. And the WebKit-based browser does a good job of handling standard HTML pages. You can sync the phone to Outlook addresses and calendar entries.

Though Nokia clearly wants to bring the app store concept to all of its phones, the Ovi Store, unfortunately, is still very much a work in progress. It was down several times during my days of testing, and software updates for it were strewn with inscrutable file names as well as repeated, annoying confirmation requests. More important, the store’s offerings, paid or free, are still scant. There’s no dedicated New York Times app, for example, or Pandora, Slacker, or iHeartRadio app. Presumably, such programs will make their way to the Symbian OS store eventually.

In the meantime, one can while away the time taking pictures with the phone’s camera. It lacks a flash, but its shutter speed can handle most indoor shots. The camera also has a zoom function and adjustable white balance, a nice touch. Video recording is straightforward, though the clips I took looked slightly jumpy no matter how steady I thought my hand was (nothing I shot would make it as an iReport).

The best extra feature, however, is the phone’s free Ovi Maps. Tap on the compass icon, and you can pinpoint your location or get walking or spoken turn-by-turn driving directions (plus traffic updates!). Nokia owns Navteq, one of the leading map makers, so it’s not surprising the company has done a solid job in this area. For one thing, navigation works even if you go offline because the maps are downloaded to the handset. This also makes zooming in and out of maps much snappier. And you have the option of using 2D, 3D, or satellite views. International travelers will also appreciate the fact that the program covers 74 countries in 46 languages.

Oddly, the TeleNav GPS Navigator also comes preloaded on the Nuron, but it costs $3 for a day pass. I did find the TeleNav software very good at understanding addresses entered by voice–a nice feature for distracted drivers.

To make a data connection, the Nuron has quad-band EDGE and dual-band HSDPA support. Sadly, no Wi-Fi is built in, which can be a distinct drawback if you’re trying to connect in an area lacking 3G support.

That’s just one more trade-off you’ll have to make for the bargain-priced Nuron. But given how well its free navigation works and the promise of many other features, many will find such trade-offs worthwhile.

The Nuron’s resistive, 3.2-inch touchscreen is a bit cramped, so exterior buttons have to play more than just a supporting role. On the right side is a volume rocker, a screen-unlock button, and a camera button. Beneath the screen are talk, end, and menu buttons. Plus, a touch-sensitive media button is above the screen. Unfortunately, when you begin working with the screen you’ll realize why all this support is necessary.

Original story -

http://www.pcworld.com/article/196451/nokia_5340_nuron_solid_lowcost_smartphone.html

Nokia 2710 Navigation Edition Review Specs Price Apps Manual

Nokia 2710 Navigation Edition is a phone that on board GPS and digital compass, this device is as at home in the city as it is in the country. On board maps are accompanied by turn-by-turn driving navigation with full voice guidance. In selected countries, the device will ship with local maps, stored on an included 2GB memory card. The Nokia 2710 Navigation Edition will also come with a car charger and a car cradle. It also come along with the lifetime navigation license.

The Nokia 2710 Navigation Edition come with GPRS handset boast a 2.2-inch screen, 2-megapixel camera and enough storage for 1,000 phonebook entries. It also sports Ovi Mail and Instant Messaging and it’ll keep the tunes turning with an MP3 player and FM radio. It also has a 3.5mm AV connector. The device will go for up to 18 days between charges in standby mode and will give up to four hours and 20 minutes talk time.