Mello's blog: "Absinth story!"

Brown neuroscientists have discovered why painkillers such as morphine and other opioids are so effective. The findings were released online on Feb. 11 and will appear in the March edition of Nature Neuroscience. Jesica Raingo, a postdoctoral research associate, authored the findings along with Professor of Neuroscience Diane Lipscombe and former Brown graduate student Andrew Castiglioni PhD'06. The scientists found that morphine and other opioids inhibit pain signals by blocking a special kind of N-type calcium channel, a protein that controls the passage of pain signals between nerve cells, according to a Feb. 15 news release by the University. Lipscombe is an expert in N-type calcium channels, which are "cellular gatekeepers" that control the release of neurotransmitters at the synapse, the point of intersection between nerve cells. Neurotransmitters carry messages, including those for pain, between nerve cells. Lipscombe and her team discovered a unique form of N-type channel in nociceptors, the neurons that carry pain signals to the spinal cord, that painkillers such as morphine affect. Typical N-type channels are made up of about 2,400 amino acids, but the channels discovered by Lipscombe's team differ from typical N-type channels by 14 amino acids, Lipscombe told The Herald. The team found that this small difference makes the channels especially sensitive and enables painkillers to take effect. "We're hoping that companies can use that information to design better drugs that have the desirable actions of morphine without the negative central effects of morphine," Lipscombe said. Morphine and similar painkillers are highly addictive, and patients quickly become dependent and develop a tolerance to them, Lipscombe added. "We've known that morphine and opioids were the antagonists of pain, but we were unclear exactly why," Lipscombe said. Her team's research "add(s) one tiny little piece of the puzzle. Providing an answer to something that has puzzled the field" was "satisfying," although it is difficult to know what role the findings will play in future research, she said. Raingo has been working on this project for the last two-and-a-half years, according to Lipscombe, although some of the research used in the project dates back 15 years, to when Lipscombe first came to the University. Over the years, many people have been involved with the research, including several undergraduate students, she said. Castiglioni's research "focused on how exon 37a impacts the function of the N-type (calcium) channel," he wrote in an e-mail to the Herald. He called the project a collaborative effort but added, "The calcium current recordings throughout the paper are all Jesica's data. Her results are beautiful to behold." ANYONE ELSE WANNA BE PART OF THIS RESEARCH"?LMAO

The Quantum Gyroscop In this project we suggest to study noncovalent interactions between single wall carbon nanotubes, between concentric multiwall carbon nanotubes and between the inside of the tubes and carbon cages or other molecules which will be established inside the cage. Such interactions were claimed to be rather strong on the one side since nanotubes are observed to aggrgate into bundles or very stable multiwall hoses. Transport experiments demonstrated on the other side a current flow only through the outermost walls of concentric tubes with hardly any intertube leaking. Experiments will be carried out by light scattering spectroscopy in combination with analyses by scanning probe microscopy. Very special modes observable by the light scattering process allow to draw information on the tube-tube interaction and on the tube-cage interaction. Such modes have been observed sofar only in single wall carbon nanotubes but are expected to be also observable in multiwall tubes if the thickness of the tubes can be reduced to a small enough value. Tube-tube interactions in isomorphous double wall tubes of boron nitride are an other target of the proposed research work. The project will be carried out in cooperation with research institutes in USA and in Germany from where special sample material will be provided. The results of the research work will provide new insight into macroscopic quantum phenomena in carbon nanotubes, in the possibilities to prepare material of individual single wall nanotubes and in the possibilities to use fullerene filled nanotubes for information storage. ............................................... The Quantum Gyroscop Sc2C2@C84 is a cluster-endohedral molecule. Experimental observations demonstrated a quantized rotation of the C2 molecule in a plane perpendicular to the rigid Sc-Sc axis. For a quantum state m ¡Ý 3 this rotation is free with a (classical) rotational frequency of ¦Ørotor = 1.02*1012 s-1 (for m=3), with the angular momentum L = 3*(h/2*¦Ð) = 3.16*10-34 kgm2s-1 ............................ If we attach the C84 cage on its surface to a linear molecule which allows for a free rotation around its axis (e.g. a poly-acetylene chain), the gravitational force m*g together with the radial distance r between the center of the cage and its surface creates a torque of M = m*(g x r) = 1.22*10-32 Nm ........................... According to Newtons second law this torque changes the angular momentum of the cage system, resulting in a precession of the cage around the linear molecule. The precession frequency is ¦ØP = r*m*g/L = 58.3 s-1

Faszination Katharer... Vor noch nicht einmal zwei Jahrzehnten wusste kaum jemand, wer die Katharer waren, geschweige denn, welche Rolle sie in der Geistesgeschichte und Historie Europas spielten. Durch zahlreiche wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen und vor allem Romane hat sich das grundlegend geändert. "Das verlorenene Labyrinth" von Kate Mosse oder "Der heilige Gral und seine Erben" von Baigent/Leigh haben viele Menschen, die sich nur am Rande mit religiösen Dingen beschäftigen wollten, auf den Geschmack gebracht. Was aber steckt wirklich hinter den geheimnisvollen Katharern? Wichtig waren sie wohl, denn extra für die katharischen Häretiker wurde die "Heilige Inquisition" als Universalwaffe der katholischen Kirche gegen missliebige Gruppen erfunden. Das deutsche Wort Ketzer lässt sich etymologisch auf Katharer zurückführen (angeblich stammt die Bezeichnung von einem Kölner Bischof aus dem 12. Jahrhundert) aber das sollte nicht der einzige Grund sein, sich mit dieser bedeutendsten mittelalterlichen Häresie zu befassen, die Ihre Auswirkungen noch bis in unsere Gegenwart hat und doch so seltsam unbekannt ist. Wir würden uns freuen, wenn wir Sie ein wenig mit der Faszination Katharer begeistern können, denn der Katharismus hat mehr zu bieten, als romantische und mystische Spekulation. Abseits der Touristenzentren in Südfrankreich lässt sich noch etwas von dem erahnen, was die Katharer im 13. Jahrhundert zum Alptraum mittelalterlicher klerikaler Langeweile, Völlerei und Arroganz machte: Demut, Bescheidenheit, Authentizität und Originalität in einmaliger Art und Weise. Der Schauplatz des Geschehens ist das kulturelle Zentrum des mittelalterlichen Europas - die Höfe vor allem in Süd-Frankreich, Italien, Belgien und Bulgarien bis hin nach Deutschland. Aber auch die sogenannten "kleinen Leute" stehen im Mittelpunkt, denn die Wirkungsweise der parfaits, der katharischen Priester, die in der Sprache der südfranzösischen Menschen predigten (und nicht in Latein), sorgten für eine der ersten vor-reformatorischen Demokratisierungen des mittelalterlichen christlichen Glaubens. Dieser Versuch endete mit der planmäßigen Ausrottung einer mittelalterlichen Hochkultur, die in der Weltgeschichte einzigartig und stellenweise geradezu tolerant und fortschrittlich war. Christen schlachteten in einem Jahrzehnte dauernden Kreuzzug ("Albigenser-Kreuzzug") erstmalig gezielt ihre Glaubensbrüder ab und sorgten für einen der ersten Genozide auf europäischen Boden, der sich nicht gegen Juden richtete.

[edit] Legend 'Well of Initiation', into the interior of the earth; picture shows also the Rose of the Winds over the Templar Cross, the Rose Cross, in "Quinta da Regaleira", Sintra, Portugal (1892-1910) [3].According to legend, Christian Rosenkreuz discovered and learned the Secret Wisdom among Arab sages as a pilgrim to the East, arguably in the 15th century (see section below on Symbolism) ; returned and founded the "Fraternity of the Rose Cross" having him (Frater C.R.C.) as the Head of the Order. Under his direction a Temple, called "The House of the Holy Spirit", was built. It is described that his body was discovered by a Brother of the Order, in a perfect state of conservation, 120 years after his death (which occurred in absolute secrecy) - as Rosenkreuz had predicted - in a chamber erected by himself as a compendium of the universe. It is described that on the Sarcophagus in the centre of the Crypt of Christian Rosenkreutz were written, among other inscriptions, the words “JESUS MIHI OMNIA, NEQUAQUAM VACUUM, LIBERTAS EVANGELII, DEI INTACTA GLORIA, LEGIS JUGUM”, giving a perfect testimony of the builder's Christic character. Rosenkreuz's crypt, according to the description presented in the legend, seems to be located in the interior parts of the Earth, recalling the alchemical motto VITRIOL: "Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem ("Visit the Interior Parts of the Earth; by Rectification Thou Shalt Find the Hidden Stone.") [4]. [edit] Biographies According to Maurice Magre (1877–1941) in his book Magicians, Seers, and Mystics, Christian Rosenkreutz was the last descendant of the Germelschausen, a German family which flourished in the 13th century. Their Castle stood in the Thuringian Forest on the Border of Hesse and they had embraced Albigensian (ie Cathar) doctrines, combining pagan superstitions and Christian beliefs. The whole family was put to death by Landgrave Conrad of Thuringia except for the youngest son, who was only five years old. He was carried away secretly by a monk who was an Albigensian adept from Languedoc. The child was placed in a monastery that had already come under the influence of the Albigenses, where he was educated and made the acquaintance of the four other brothers who were later to be associated with him in the founding of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. His account derives from oral tradition. Count of St Germain by unknown artistSome occult writers, including Rudolf Steiner, Max Heindel [5] and (much later) Guy Ballard, have stated that Rosenkreuz later reappeared as the Count of St Germain, a courtier, adventurer, and alchemist who reportedly died on February 27, 1784. [edit] Symbolism of the numbers in the Manifestos The legend presented in the Manifestos has been interpreted symbolically (as were all hermetic and alchemical texts of those times). They do not directly state Christian Rosenkreuz's years of birth and death, but in two sentences in the second Manifesto the year 1378 is presented as being the birth year of "our Christian Father", and it is stated that they could describe the 106 years of his life, which would imply the year 1484 for his death. The foundation of the Order can be deduced in similar terms as having occurred in the year 1407. However, these numbers (and deduced years) are not taken literally by many students of occultism, and are considered as allegorical and symbolic statements for the understanding of the Initiated. The justification for this relies on the Manifestos themselves: on the one hand, the Rosicrucians clearly adopted through the Manifestos the Pythagorean tradition of envisioning objects and ideas in terms of their numeric aspects, and, on the other hand, they directly state in the second Manifesto, "We speak unto you by parables, but would willingly bring you to the right, simple, easy and ingenuous exposition, understanding, declaration, and knowledge of all secrets." The metaphorical quality of these legends lends to the nebulous nature of the origins of Rosicrucianism. For example, the opening of Rosenkreuz's tomb is thought to be a way of referring to the cycles in nature and to cosmic events. Similarly, Rosenkreuz's pilgrimage seems to refer to the transmutation steps of the Great Work. Similar legends may be found in Wolfram von Eschenbach's description of the Holy Grail stone, known as "Lapis Exillis", guarded by the Knights Templar, or in the Philosopher's Stone of the alchemists, the "Lapis Exillir".

>Do You Know Who Owns Your Car? > >On February 10, 1987, Tennessee Department of Revenue Operations Supervisor >Denise Rottero told Judge Geer how Tennessee's auto registration works. > >The process begins with the "surrender" of the Manufacturer's Statement of >Origin (MSO) by the auto dealer to the Department of Revenue in exchange for >Certificate of Title. Asked if a MSO is proof of ownership -Legal title -to >the automobile. Ms. Rottero said, "Yes" > >"Are you telling me that the ownership of an automobile is NOT title; it's >merely evidence that title exists? Your car's legal TITLE is the MSO, which >the dealer surrendered to the state?" Ms. Rottero said the MSO is put on >microfilm for permanent keeping, the original destroyed. > >After the trial, spectators expressed shock that their personal automobiles >were actually owned by the state. "No wonder state law officers stop people >for no reason!" said a housewife. "If your car's got a Tennessee plate, it's >theirs, and they can do anything they like to you." That's the law, but it's >volutary, No one but Judge Greer has dared say that if you don't surrender >your car to the state in exchange for plates, you go to jail. > >Ed. Note : This is true not only for Tennessee, but for the other 49 states >as well. When purchasing a new automobile, the buyer is required to sign >fine print which authorized the dealer to obtain plates and registration for >the vehicle. Purchaser need only to read this fine print to see that by >doing this they are authorizing the dealer to act a power of attorney, and >by doing so the prospective buyer is signing away his rights to that >vehicle. When buying a used vehicle, the title already has been signed over >to the state. > >-From The Investigative Reporter, October 1996 >

The Absinthe Story 1792 A French doctor with a curiously rhyming name - Pierre Ordinaire - decides it's time for a 18th Century wonder drug. He knocks up a cure-all potion named 'absinthe' - and, as its popularity spreads across the Swiss Val de Travers region, copycat distillers join the party. Soon absinthe attracts a reputation for healing everything from epilepsy, gout, kidney stones, colic, headaches and worms - and pleased punters affectionately nickname the tonic 'La Fée Verte' (the green fairy). 1805 An early day Bill Gates called Henri-Louis Pernod decides the drink should be an aperitif not just a tonic and sets up the famous Pernod Fils absinthe company in Pontarlier in France. Rumor has it Monsieur Pernod got his entrepreneurial hands on the original recipe through his father-in-law - a Major Dubied. The Major had paid good money for the formula apparently left to the Henriod sisters by Pierre Ordinaire on his deathbed. The Pernod Fils stills gear up to produce 16 liters of the liquor per day. This makes for a lot of happy people. 1850 Pernod Fils now had 26 stills producing 20,000 liters of absinthe a day - meaning even more happy people. 1870 A sad time for the French wine industry as a bug known as phylloxera devastated the vineyards there - a problem that lasted an incredible 30 years. As wine became scarce and expensive, lovers of café culture drowned their sorrows in absinthe. Sales of absinthe exploded as the nation fell in love with the green fairy. 1874 The love affair continues apace and France consumes 700,000 liters of absinthe. 1890 France is hit by a wave of infamous hedonism that lasts throughout the final decade of the 19th Century. The movement embraces the bohemian revelers typically found at the Moulin Rouge in the heart of Montmartre, the Parisian red-light district. The patrons were no strangers to absinthe - or its purported aphrodisiac qualities, and the glamour and frivolity of the Moulin Rouge becomes inextricably linked with the aperitif. 1901 A devastating fire destroys much of the Pernod factory causing millions of liters of absinthe to flood into the Doubs river - it promptly turns cloudy (but I bet the fish felt good!). 1905 The temperance movement (boo!) try and use the so-called 'Absinthe Murders' to obtain a ban on absinthe. In fact, while Swiss man Jean Lanfray apparently shot his pregnant wife and two daughters 'after two glasses of absinthe', he was known to be a wine-guzzling alcoholic - and had washed down the aperitif with no less than a crème de menthe, a cognac, six glasses of wine with lunch, a glass of wine before leaving work, a cup of coffee with brandy in it and an entire liter of wine. 1910 While absinthe was successfully banned in Switzerland, France carried on regardless and consumed 36,000,000 liters of absinthe. 1912 The USA bans absinthe too. Is there no justice? 1914 War breaks out and the French Government circumvents the democratic process and orders the police to forbid all establishments from selling absinthe. 1915 At the height of its popularity, absinthe is banned in France. Despite having issued it to its troops as a preventative against malaria for years, the French Government outlaws the drink, blaming it for widespread desertion in the trenches during World War I. It was also blamed for a syndrome called 'absinthism' (now known not to exist), allegedly characterized by addiction, hyper excitability, epileptic fits and hallucinations. 1918 Absinthe cleverly production moves to Spain, with the Spanish offshoot of Pernod Fils - Pernod S.A. - setting up in Tarragona. While Pernod S.A. eventually shuts down in 1965, other absinthe producers continue the tradition (phew!). 1920s Absinth begins to be produced in the Bohemian region of Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) and remains popular in venues such as the Savoy Hotel, London. In 1922, the French government passes a bill allowing imitation (wormwood free) absinthe. 1930s Cheeky Ernest Hemingway (by now living in Key West, Florida) continues to enjoy absinthe (having gained a taste for it as a young journalist in Spain), with his supplies probably smuggled in from Cuba. 1998 Absinth is revived in the UK by George Rowley where an innovative publicity campaign soon makes it a must-have drink in trendy nightclubs and bars. His action became the catalyst allowing the return of Absinthe once again to Europe and the world. 1999 The website eAbsinthe.com is launched, initially shipping only within the UK, but later expanding to worldwide deliveries. 2005 Hurrah! Absinthe is legalized in Switzerland, allowing official production of the green fairy from the very country where it began. While many producers of Swiss 'la bleue' absinthe had operated underground, they can now make the drink legitimately. To mark the return of the good times, eAbsinthe.com is re-launched.