Media Watch
Team Finds New Source for Sleep-Related Brain Waves
Futurity -
“Our research sheds light on a previously unrecognized aspect of deep sleep brain activity,” says lead author Mengke Wang, formerly an undergraduate student in biomedical engineering at the University of California, Irvine, who is now a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University (Wang conducted the study while at UC Irvine). “We’ve discovered that the hippocampus, typically associated with memory formation, plays a crucial role in generating slow waves and sleep spindles, offering new insights into how these brain waves support memory processing during sleep.” Read More
TMJ Horrors: Chronic Pain, Metal Jaws and Futile Treatments
U.S. News & World Report -
Kyriacos Athanasiou, a biomedical engineering professor at the University of California, Irvine, said it was because TMJ disorders are more prevalent among women that they were historically dismissed as neither serious nor complex, slowing research into the cause and treatment. The resulting dearth of knowledge, which is glaring when compared with other joints, has been "a huge disservice" to patients, Athanasiou said. In a 2021 study he co-authored, researchers found that the knee, despite being a much simpler joint, was the subject of about six times as many research papers and grants in a single year than the jaw joint. Read More
Neuroscientists Uncover Brain Region 'Crucial' to Deep Sleep
Newsweek -
Neuroscientists have discovered a surprising new source of deep-sleep brain waves, shaking up our understanding of the architecture of sleep and how we treat sleep disorders. … "These findings have significant implications for sleep research, potentially paving the way for new approaches to treating sleep-related disorders," co-author Gregory Brewer, adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at UC Irvine, said in a statement. Read More
Researchers find new origin of deep brain waves
Medical Xpress -
University of California, Irvine biomedical engineering researchers have uncovered a previously unknown source of two key brain waves crucial for deep sleep: slow waves and sleep spindles. Traditionally believed to originate from one brain circuit linking the thalamus and cortex, the team's findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that the axons in memory centers of the hippocampus play a role. Read More
New Source of Brain Waves Linked to Deep Sleep
Sleep Review -
University of California, Irvine biomedical engineering researchers have uncovered a previously unknown source of two key brain waves crucial for deep sleep: slow waves and sleep spindles. Traditionally believed to originate from one brain circuit linking the thalamus and cortex, the team’s findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that the axons in memory centers of the hippocampus play a role. Read More
The horrors of TMJ: Chronic pain, metal jaws, and futile treatments
Fortune -
Kyriacos Athanasiou, a biomedical engineering professor at the University of California, Irvine, said it was because TMJ disorders are more prevalent among women that they were historically dismissed as neither serious nor complex, slowing research into the cause and treatment. The resulting dearth of knowledge, which is glaring when compared with other joints, has been "a huge disservice" to patients, Athanasiou said. In a 2021 study he co-authored, researchers found that the knee, despite being a much simpler joint, was the subject of about six times as many research papers and grants in a single year than the jaw joint. Read More
The horrors of TMJ: Chronic pain, metal jaws, and futile treatments
CBS News -
Kyriacos Athanasiou, a biomedical engineering professor at the University of California, Irvine, said it was because TMJ disorders are more prevalent among women that they were historically dismissed as neither serious nor complex, slowing research into the cause and treatment. The resulting dearth of knowledge, which is glaring when compared with other joints, has been "a huge disservice" to patients, Athanasiou said. In a 2021 study he co-authored, researchers found that the knee, despite being a much simpler joint, was the subject of about six times as many research papers and grants in a single year than the jaw joint. Watch More
UC Irvine Professor Proposes Solutions To Address Beach Erosion
India Education Diary -
Brett Sanders, professor of civil and environmental engineering, shared his expertise on the drivers and processes affecting beach erosion along Southern California’s coastline at the 2024 Orange County Council of Governments annual conference. … “Solving the problem of beach erosion is well within our reach, but it will require coordinated county-wide effort. Sustainable solutions will be found inland of the coast – restoring the natural processes that supply sand to beaches.” Read More
UC Irvine Engineers Secure Air Force Grant To Investigate Exoskeletons Of Special Beetles
India Education Diary -
A team led by researchers at UC Irvine has won a $904,000 grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for a four-year project to uncover the multiscale architectural features and functions of the exoskeletons of two beetle species. The goal of the work is to reveal new designs that provide robust mechanical properties while exhibiting such other characteristics as thermal stability. The group, led by David Kisailus, UCI professor of materials science and engineering, will work to translate “blueprints” from the creatures’ bodies to develop high-performance, multifunctional engineered materials useful in national defense, aerospace and other applications. Read More
UC Irvine Materials Scientists Receive $4 Million Research Grant From Air Force
India Education Diary -
The Air Force Office of Scientific Research has awarded a UCI materials science team $4 million for a three-year project to perfect the use of microscopic life-forms in the extraction of rare earth elements and as productive components in additive manufacturing systems. The group, led by principal investigator David Kisailus, UCI professor of materials science and engineering, is looking for ways to employ microbes as miners in extreme conditions in remote environments, including the moon, Mars and asteroids. The researchers are also exploring the ability of these nearly indestructible organisms to work on our behalf in hazardous places like toxic waste sites. Read More