Learning

have shown that both calorie restriction and intermittent fasting along with vitamin and mineral intake, increase resistance to disease, extend lifespan, and stimulate production of neurons from stem cells.

Physical exercise may also have beneficial effects on neuron regeneration by stimulating regeneration of brain and muscle cells via activation of stress proteins and the production of growth factors. But again, additional research suggests that not all exercise is equal. Interestingly, some researchers found that exercise considered drudgery was not beneficial in neuronal regeneration, but physical activity that was engaged in purely for fun, even if equal time was spent and equal calories were burned, resulted in neuronal regeneration.

Green's university, Coppin State, is one of a few hundred across the country that's using the lecture-archiving system called Tegrity. In Maryland, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Salisbury University and the Community College of Baltimore County are using it, too. School officials say the technology is not only helping students stay on pace with course work, it's taking away a prime reason for dropping out.

To remember a particular event, a specific sequence of neurons must fire at just the right time. For this to happen, neurons must be connected in a certain way by chemical junctions called synapses. But how they last over decades, given that proteins in the brain, including those that form synapses, are destroyed and replaced constantly, is a mystery.

Many genes are already coated with methyl groups. When a cell divides, this "cellular memory" is passed on and tells the new cell what type it is - a kidney cell, for example. Miller and Sweatt argue that in neurons, methyl groups also help to control the exact pattern of protein expression needed to maintain the synapses that make up memories.

finished reading a deeply philosophical essay by Isaac Mao from The People’s Republic of China called “Sharism: A mind revolution.”  This essay is part of a collection of essays gathered by Joi Ito  to celebrate the power of Web 2.0 and “all the people who are willing to share.”  It was first brought to my attention by Will Richardson who reflected on Mao’s thoughts in his own blog last week as he lamented that there are still educators out there who are not willing to share their best teaching practices and lessons with others online (Nov. 18, 2008). 

A three-year research project, headed by Mimi Ito, involving 28 researchers and 800 subjects, and sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, finds that the stereotypical idea of the Internet as a soul-devouring, anti-social wasteland for our kids is just plain wrong. If you suspected otherwise, now you know you were right.

The researchers identified two distinctive categories of teen engagement with digital media: friendship-driven and interest-driven. While friendship-driven participation centered on “hanging out” with existing friends, interest-driven participation involved accessing online information and communities that may not be present in the local peer group.

THOMAS是一个强大的神经回路，当我们被信任时会释放出影响神经系统的化学物质催生素（oxytocin），引诱得到报答的渴望。骗局的关键不是你去相信骗子，而是骗子表现出他信任你。骗子会展示他是如何的需要你的帮助，令人以为他们是多么的脆弱。因为THOMAS的效应，我们在帮助他人时会自我感觉良好——这是家庭和朋友关系、以及与陌生人合作的基础。

大脑就是一台三磅重的超级计算机。它是身体运行的命令和控制中心。它几乎涉及你所做的每一件事。你的大脑决定你如何思考，如何感觉，如何行动，以及如何与他人相处。你的大脑甚至决定你是哪一类的人。它决定了你有多善解人意；你有多友善或是有多粗鲁。它决定了你思维有多敏捷，这还涉及到你工作完成的如何以及你的家庭。你的大脑还影响你的情感活动，以及你如何对待异性。

可以充当情绪兴奋剂的味道有薄荷，柏杨和柠檬。起到舒缓作用的味道有：依兰，天竺葵和玫瑰。滴几滴精油在浴缸中或者在扩散器中，都可以起到作用。你也可以在一个棉球或手帕中滴一两滴，然后吸入这种味道。对于办公地点使用的一个警告：先确保没有人对你使用的精油过敏。

感謝 Isaac、Shizhao、Tangos、lonsonlo 等前輩給予機會讓我為年會出力！我寫了一篇不完全指南，希望能起到幫助。

廣州氣候跟香港差不多，11月也不會很冷。個人的經驗是兩件衣服足夠了，不需要毛衣。具體天氣請留意本文更新，不建議參考天氣預報。。

Watching black and white television as a child may explain why older people are less likely to dream in colour than younger people, according to new study reported in New Scientist.

La capacidad de compartir con nuestros estudiantes a partir del respeto a su individualidad va más allá de esa interpretación chata de la dimensión afectiva del aprendizaje tan de moda. Es a partir del respeto al individuo, a su decisión libre de interactuar o no, y de poner en juego estratégicamente su inteligencia conectiva como es posible entender una enseñanza libre de falsos ídolos y que responda a los fundamentos de la naturaleza humana.

In a nutshell, the device converts electrical signals sent to the visual cortex into images that can be viewed on a computer screen. In their experiment, they showed test subjects the six letters in the word neuron and succeeded in reconstructing the word on screen by measuring their brain activity. As the technology progresses, it could be possible to "see" what people are thinking, what they dream about and record it for posterity. What do you think? Would that be awesome or scary as hell? All I know is that image weirds me out. [Yahoo Image via Pink Tentacle Thanks Roger!]