News by Subject Social & Behavior

Using a rat model for high blood pressure (hypertension), a common chronic cardiovascular condition, a University of South Florida team found that preexisting hypertension altered normal reflexes in the lungs to affect autonomic regulation of the heart when an irritant mimicking air pollution was inhaled. In particular, hypertension appeared to shift the reflex response from the 'fight-or-flight' parasympathetic nervous system to the sympathetic nervous system, which controls involuntary responses like heart rate while the body is at rest.

Some 9,000 years ago, residents of one of the world's first large farming communities were also among the first humans to experience some of the perils of modern urban living. Scientists studying the ancient ruins of Çatalhöyük, in modern Turkey, found that its inhabitants -- 3,500 to 8,000 people at its peak -- experienced overcrowding, infectious diseases, violence and environmental problems.

The city of Amsterdam envisions a future where fleets of autonomous boats cruise its many canals to transport goods and people, collect trash, or self-assemble into floating stages and bridges. To further that vision, MIT researchers have given new capabilities to their fleet of robotic boats -- which are being developed as part of an ongoing project -- that lets them target and clasp onto each other, and keep trying if they fail.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has announced the release of ActiveVision, a machine vision tool that transportation agencies can use to autonomously detect and report traffic condition changes. ActiveVision's algorithms process camera data to provide real-time information on weather conditions and other anomalies affecting congestion. Designed for integration with intelligent transportation systems (ITS), ActiveVision can be configured with existing traffic cameras to analyze roadway conditions with no human monitoring required.

Algal blooms in the Red Sea can be detected with a new method that accounts for dust storms and aerosols.