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I can't seem to find a "Health" forum. I think there should be one. But here goes : Declining eyesight can be improved by looking at red light, pilot study says By Ryan Prior, CNN Updated 1700 GMT (0100 HKT) June 30, 2020 (CNN)It will be as easy as brushing your teeth or shaving, and as long as future studies support it, it just might save your eyesight. A few minutes of looking into a deep red light could have a dramatic effect on preventing eyesight decline as we age, according to a new study published this week in The Journals of Gerontology. If the results are replicated in future studies, and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the light could augur a new era in which millions of people have access to the easy home-based therapy. It would give them a new layer of protection against the natural aging processes that steal our eyes' sensitivity to light and ability to distinguish colors. "You don't need to use it for very long to start getting a strong result," said lead author Glen Jeffery, a professor of neuroscience at University College London's Institute of Ophthalmology. The science works, Jeffery said, because the light stimulates the health of mitochondria, which are like batteries in our cells. And because mitochondria are implicated in a broad range of diseases, insights like these could help lead to new treatments for diseases including Parkinson's and diabetes. All it takes is a few minutes The study was small, a pilot study to test the concept. Researchers recruited 12 men and 12 women, whose ages ranged from 28 to 72. Each participant was given a small handheld flashlight that emitted a red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers. That wavelength is toward the long end of the visible spectrum, and just short of an infrared wavelength, which tends to be invisible to the human eye. They spent three minutes each day looking into the light over a period of two weeks. The lights work on both cones and rods in the eye. Cones are photo receptor cells that detect color and work best in well-lit situations. Rods, which are much more plentiful, are retina cells that specialize in helping us see in dim light, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Researchers measured the cone function in subjects' eyes by having them identify colored letters with low contrast. And they measured their eyes' rod sensitivity by asking them to detect light signals in the dark. There was a 14% improvement in the ability to see colors, or cone color contrast sensitivity, for the entire two dozen participants. Improvement, however, was most significant in study participants over age 40. For those ages, cone color contrast sensitivity rose by 20% over the course of the study. That age bracket also saw significant increases in rod threshold, which corresponds to the ability to see in low light. Study participants under 40 also experienced some improvement, but didn't see the same jump as older subjects. Younger eyes haven't declined as much as older eyes. "The retina ages faster than any other organ in your body," Jeffery said. "From an evolutionary perspective, we fundamentally have never lived past 40." Now, of course, we regularly live well beyond that age, and need ways to nurture the organs that for millennia have been the most likely to wear out earliest in life. Adults ages 40 and higher are are at the highest risk for eye diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These diseases can occur in young people but their prevalence increases with age. At the beginning stages, these conditions are treatable, although they can start creeping in before symptoms appear. That's why the AAO recommends increasing regular eye exams to every two to four years for people once they cross age 40, and to increase exams to every one to two years at age 65. The CDC notes that the progression of these diseases can also be slowed by eating a diet rich in antioxidants and maintaining normal levels of blood sugar, body weight and blood pressure. If those indicators get out of normal range, they can further degeneration by breaking down blood vessels in the eyes, the American Heart Associations says. It's easy and safe to use This new study in humans builds on results in fruit flies and in mice, which also showed that red light could improve the functioning of mitochondria. For instance, a 2015 study showed that near-infrared light could spur energy production, improve mobility and extend the lifespan of fruit flies. And a 2017 study of visible red light at the edge of infrared reported a 25% improvement in the functioning of retinas in mice. Longer-term independent safety studies of red lights in humans would have to garner similar benefits for this method of eyesight protection to be approved by the FDA. If so, you'd still need to use a properly vetted product under a doctor's supervision. For example, while the laser pointers approved by the FDA for sale in the US don't cause eye damage, a 2018 case study in the New England Journal of Medicine outlined how a boy in Greece permanently injured an eye by pointing a green laser pointer into it. One of the best assets of the red lights they used is that they are safe, Jeffery said. The researchers all tested the red lights on their own eyes before beginning the study and have found no ill effects. The research subjects in the study also reported no ill effects. "If you use this every day, we have no evidence to say it's detrimental," Jeffery said. That fits with prior research, in which the safety of red lights has long been established, explained Dr. Raj Maturi, an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine. "It would be a very easy pathway to FDA approval," he said. But more studies are needed to prove it helps Although these lights aren't harmful, Maturi wasn't ready to embrace the idea that they're incredibly helpful either. This pilot study lacked a control group of patients who could have been exposed to a dummy light that emitted, he noted. The results found in this small study of 24 participants might not bear out in the larger population. Of the subjects over 40 in this study, individual characteristics of a few of them would be enough to make the eyesight improvements look stronger than they actually are. "The data set could be brought down by three or four subjects," he said. And while participants improved in how they saw the blue color axis, Maturi pointed out that they didn't have statistically significant gains in how they saw the red color axis. To really test these insights, it'll take a double-blind controlled study with a larger group of subjects and longer monitoring over time. LED lights could help with many diseases LED lights work in this arena because of what scientists call the mitochondrial theory of aging, in that humans and animals age as damage accumulates in mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA. Therefore stimulating mitochondria to reduce damage is a way of slowing aging in general. Our retinas are chock-full of mitochondria — the highest concentration of mitochondria of any part of the body. That's a main reason why Jeffery and his colleagues sought to test out the red lights in a specific area of aging such as eyesight decline. Mitochondria absorb longer wavelengths of light, making the near-infrared light their preferred choice to test. Red lights can improve function in a range of diseases, particularly in the mitochondria in those undergoing aging with conditions such as Parkinson's, he noted. "Every disease could have a mitochondrial angle," Jeffery said. "In diabetes, for instance, your mitochondria are very upset." Each application carries that same human desire to fend off processes that are both natural and universal. "We're all going to suffer from aging. So let's try to go gently if we can," he said.

MYCARFORUM POINTS SYSTEM Let's discuss how this forum points system should be revamped and enhanced to meet future needs. Allow me to start. 1. All point earned are reset annually to ZERO. This way, does not matter if you are old bird or new bird, the quality of posts in a year earns the points. 2. Anonymous 'dislikes' are not allowed. This served the forum well when initially implemented but in this day and age, dun hide if you want to take maximum points. Maybe you want to take, you have to give 50%? 3. Bullying laws are being drafted, those unsubstantiated buddy attacks deter new members from posting and attracting new like-minded folks. This forum, already manipulated by the 'team seniors' with thousands of points is not going to progress if not reinventing itself. :-)

SINGAPORE - A stretch of yellow-barreled rails over 20m in length was recently installed along the road shoulder of the slip road leading to the start of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) towards Woodlands. The rails resemble the rolling barrier system, a road safety feature, seen in several countries including Malaysia, Australia and the United States. Singapore Road Safety Council chairman Bernard Tay told The Straits Times the new guardrails are better at absorbing the impact from a vehicle crash. "It behaves like a shock absorber," said Mr Tay. "Unlike conventional metal barriers, this system absorbs the (crash) impact and deflects it, making it safer for the driver and reduces the likelihood of a vehicle crashing through the barrier." ST understands the system is new here. It is being tested by the Land Transport Authority which will soon be giving details about it. A close inspection of the "barrels" with reflective markers reveal they were manufactured by a South Korean company called Evolution in Traffic Innovation (ETI) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXVUAR5kjOA So how does the rolling barrier system work? When a vehicle hits the guardrail, the rotating barrels convert the shockwaves to rotational energy. The railway-type rails in the system also absorb the shockwaves while simultaneously guiding the accident vehicle away from the impact zone. In theory, this helps prevent unwanted rear-end collisions. The size and speed of a vehicle may affect the performance of the safety barrier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdPmlriLSkQ The latest road safety technology, however, does not come cheap. The cost of installing 1m of the Roller System is reported to range between US$300 (S$414) and US$400 (S$553). But the cost of maintaining the guardrails apparently will be low as only damaged parts need to be replaced following a crash. In Mr Tay's view, the price is a small one to pay. "It's a good thing that LTA is making an effort to put in new innovation," he said. "Hopefully it (the rolling barrier system) saves more lives and reduces the injury to motorists."

It's really a pain to drive to work in the morning nowadays. Driving is so different from few years back. While there is ERP, COE, all these measures have yet to prove their effectiveness. A true solution takes time and pain to implement, but at least it must be one that works. Therefore i am asking for good ideas/suggestions to improve the situation (only constructive suggestions please). Let me start with a few : 1) Setting up electronic notice boards to inform traffic condition before every entrance of expressway so that drivers can avoid jams. 2) Setting up a dedicated radio station to continuously broadcast traffic conditions 3) Setting up a SMS notification system for all drivers 4) Have more exits from expressway so that traffic can be diverted should there be a traffic jam 5) Privatise public transport so that there will be competition and hence improvement in the public transport 6) Build more expressways and flyovers (you see a lot of these in cities like Shanghai and Seoul etc) 7) Encourage students to take school buses instead of parents sending them to school

Safety Bars (also known as Strut Bars) are one of the most easily found aftermarket accessory that help to improve the handling and stability of your car. Benefits of Safety Bars Body Roll The body roll of the car will be reduced with installation of safety bars. This improves the stability of the car, especially when cornering. Chassis Friendly Safety bars are designed to absorb the impact and minimising the possible damages due to the chassis in an event of collision. Chassis Flex Reinforce the framework of the car and minimise chassis flex, which will improve the handling and safety when driving. · Quality Assurance With ISO 9001:2008 · Proven in Worldwide Motorsport Event · Life time Warranty · No modification or drilling is required Interested to know more about Ultra Racing Strut Bars? Fill the Form Below for any enquiries! We'll be glad to be able to assist you

Hello MCFers, long time no see... We have been working very hard recently to spice up the forum. And we have a tie-up with Caltex , the leading petroleum company that introduced technologically-advanced Techron® Concentrate Plus fuel system cleaner. Techron® Concentrate Plus was launched in 2014 in a concentrated bottle form for periodic deep cleaning. And this time, Caltex is introducing the Techron® D Concentrate for diesel vehicles. One bottle of Techron® D Concentrate (473ml) is best used for vehicles with diesel fuel tank of up to 80 litres. Simply put, Techron® D Concentrate, with Precision Clean™ technology will clean diesel injectors and keep them performing almost like new. Techron D Concentrate diesel fuel system cleaner can be used with all types of diesel fuel including ultra-low sulfur diesel, bio diesel and bio diesel blends. For more information on Techron® Technology, visit www.caltex.com.sg/techronworks. MyCarForum is working with Caltex Lubricants to do a giveaway for Techron® D Concentrate. We are giving away 100 bottles to MyCarForum members who are driving a diesel car. Terms and conditions apply. The RRP is S$21.80 at Caltex stations. Here's how to join the giveaway! Register here. Registration Period: 30th November 2017 to 21st December 2017. We will then contact you within seven working days. If you are selected for the giveaway, we will send you the link to complete the registration. Members who are selected for this giveaway will receive the Techron® D Concentrate. Item can be collected at @ 61 Ubi Ave 2 #07-05/06 Automobile Megamart Spore 408898 or via courier service at a flat admin fee of $10. You must be driving a diesel-powered vehicle. SGCM Pte Ltd. And Caltex Lubricants assumes no responsibility for the misuse of the product in any way. The giveaway for the Techron® D Concentrate is strictly for participant’s own use and may not be re-sold by participant. After using Techron® D Concentrate, please submit your review of the product within 3 weeks. On submission of the product review, participant will be entitled to receive a Sonax Car Air Con Cleaning Anti-bacteria that is worth $38.95! Join this giveaway! Submit your review here! http://www.sgcarmart.com/products/overview.php?ID=12164 Terms & Conditions: 1. Postage fee is one-time off, non-refundable 2. Please make sure that you give us your correct mailing address when you register. Any chance of loss mail, we will send a new set if the address provided is correct. 3. Please input your name, not a nickname, we won't be responsible for returned mail. 4. Sonax Car Air Con Cleaning Anti-bacteria will be ready for collection/mailed out to participants who submitted review for Techron® D Concentrate within 3 weeks after receiving the item.

Usually when we talk about comfort tyres we focus on the noise level. Will premium comfort tyres like bridgestone gr100 improve on the bumpiness or harshness of the car compared to performance tyres. Assume the same tyres size, profile, tyre pressure, rim and car.

I keep getting dropped signal from 3G to 2G, which my mobile apps like Facebook would hang. Are there ways or devices to boost this signal?

I find that my car brake is not very sensitive. My car workshop advise me to change the brake pad and also to skim the rotors. I was told that the time to change the brake pad will be when the brake give out a hissing sound when you pressed on the brake. This is because there is a inbuilt strip within the brake pad which will make a hissing sound when it had been worn down to a certain thickness. Otherwise, it is not necessary to change. Is this true? Some people also claimed that we should never skim the rotors. May i know the reason why? My workshop claim that by skimming the rotors, it make the rotors more even, resulting in better grip when the brake pad pressed on the rotors. Is this true?

A discussion based on discussion on how best to improve COE bidding system ? - One family one car ? -Cap on car loan to value -50-50% -Impose levies on 2nd/3rd car justifiable ? - Judge on car horse-power ?

for those woodsville junction users at bendermeer, macpherson, upper serangoon road, give your opinons!!! then we can send the results to LTA and put on facebook :)

Motorists who speed, beat the red light or drive carelessly within enhanced school zones will be slapped with a demerit point under enhanced road safety measures rolled out by the Ministry of Home Affairs. These zones have red textured surfaces on the road and special road markings and signs to remind motorists to slow down and look out for schoolchildren. The additional demerit point will cause a new driver who is on probation to have his licence revoked if he is caught, said Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran during the Committee of Supply debate yesterday. Several Members of Parliament (MPs), such as Dr Janil Puthucheary and Mr Gan Thiam Poh, had earlier raised concerns over the increase in traffic violations, even though the number of fatal accidents decreased last year. There is also a trend of worsening road habits and behaviours, MP Christopher de Souza noted. Following a

Open letter urges PM, Minister to improve road safety for cyclists The death of a cyclist who was killed after a lorry hit him on Saturday has prompted calls for greater safety on roads. (AFP file photo) An avid cyclist has written an impassioned open letter to Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew, repeating a growing call for a 1.5-metre lane to be set aside for road cyclists.

Hi all, Is there any way to improve the holding of driver in the existing normal car seats without going for bucket seats? Any after-market inserts or tied-down cushions? What I saw selling in Autobacs are more for therapeutic back/hip support. Thanks for any advice!

Anyone set up to Google DNS? is the speed really faster? http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html Here is the link to test your speed. http://code.google.com/p/namebench/

Anyone set up to Google DNS? is the speed really faster? http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html

Yep thanks to this fare "revision", our doc here is now determined to get a car ASAP because of "unreliable" cab service... If more folks are using this excuse than we just have to be contented with our little red dot being a giant car park during peak hours... From ST Forum: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/...ory_742416.html REVISION IN TAXI FARES Service should improve before charges are increased Published on Dec 8, 2011 LET me cite my experience last week to illustrate the unjustified cab fare revisions initiated by ComfortDelGro without a preceding improvement in service standards ('Other taxi firms set to revise fares too'; yesterday). Last Saturday, I tried to book a MaxiCab for five (four adults and a baby with a car seat) from ComfortDelGro. It took 10 dropped calls and an hour to finally get an answer. Having secured the first MaxiCab, we tried to book a return one, for which we were assured by ComfortDelGro that we would get an SMS confirmation. We were very willing to pay the required advance booking fee of $16. We received the SMS for the first cab immediately, but it took three hours to receive a rejection for the second. By then, we were in a rush to get to the airport as two people in our group had to catch their flight to Canada. So we decided to book two normal cabs instead. However, we managed to secure only one after about half an hour of trying (via the iPhone app and calling) and received no reply on the second. We even tried flagging ComfortDelGro cabs - to no avail. The experience left us anxious and irritated. We were highly inconvenienced by the shoddy and unprofessional service. Our Canadian guests could not understand why it was so difficult to book a taxi, whereas everything else seemed to work well in Singapore. The fare revision makes no sense in the light of such poor service. Cab operators should improve service or keep the fares low. We understand that Singapore has more taxis than many other major cities, but the service is much poorer. Now, we are even more determined to buy a car as soon as possible because we cannot continue being plagued by unreliable service. Dr Karthik Kumar

That's d way Mr PM. Sincerely hope u can accomplish that in 5 years. NEWS May 9, 2011 Government's priority is to improve citizens' lives: PM GIVEN the external international environment, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the overriding priority for his government is to 'improve the life for our citizens.' Mr Lee was speaking at the 30th anniversary conference of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) at the Shangri-La Hotel on Monday. To achieve this, Mr Lee said Singapore must first grow the economy by staying plugged into the world by attracting investments and talent, encourage local enterprises to diversify, expand and move abroad, among other things. Mr Lee added that it is also the government's objective 'to raise income across the board', including the 'the middle income households and those at the lower end' by upgrading productivity through re-training and education of workers, and restructuring Singapore's industries. Other ways to grow the Singapore economy include buffering it against volatility by accumulating adequate reserves and maintaining political support for policies which benefit Singaporeans. Mr Lee acknowledged in his speech that it is not easy for Singaporeans to cope with rapid changes, even when the overall standards of living are rising and that his 'newly elected PAP government has its work cut out for it.'

Esp. when carrying more people with AC and low RPM. Side gap + regapping your spark plugs will help to improve performance by quite a noticeable amount. My original gap is 1.1mm and I increase it to 1.4mm. The difference is very noticeable. Tried with 4 people + AC and under hot day, the car performs well. I can't really feel the extra weight of the car at all. Even going up slope is not a problem (mine is manual). Of course, you have to experiment whats the max gap for your car. If you experience misfiring under WOT at high RPM, this means the gap is too big already. One cheap solution to get reduce misfiring problem is to install an ignition booster. Not those VS, its those which boost the voltage to ~16V. With slightly more primary voltage to your coils, you will achieve a higher secondary voltage to your plugs, hence resolving the misfiring issue (of course there is a limit as well).

Isn't it clear enough still have say it over & over again? We want ACTION done, not emphasing the same old same old motherhood statements again & again PLEASE??!! As for his own GRC's 40% of voters going against him, if he is still puzzled about the reasons, I feel very sorry to SDP's A-Team that lost to him. From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1127734/1/.html Govt needs to improve communication with citizens: Dr Balakrishnan By Satish Cheney | Posted: 09 May 2011 1938 hrs

say if i turbo charged my 2L to attain the same power as a 2.4L, will my 2L consume less fuel than a 2.4L if the driving patterns are the same? also if my 2L does 8km/l at 180km/h, if i added a bolt on turbo kit, will the car get better FC at 180km/h? and if i added a small turbo into my car, how much gain will i be able to get if i don't intend to change anything else? not that i intend to add a turbo into my car, but wondering if turbo technology can help improve FC

where do the $$ come from?? thin air ?? he is irresponsible to make such comment who is going to bear the cost ?? Mr Ma never tell his boss meh

I just bought a 2nd hand Satra Neo and its using EThrottle (eeks!!). I would prefer the conventional cable rather than Ethrottle. Is there anyway to get rid of hat stupid lag other than installing some throttle controller?

SINGAPORE: The Motor Traders Association of Singapore (MTA) has written to Transport Minister Raymond Lim, offering some suggestions to fine-tune the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system. In a release issued on Wednesday, the MTA suggested the removal of taxis from the Category A COE quota, and doing away with Category E (open category) COEs. It said COE premiums are now among the highest since the COE system was started in 1990. These high prices come on the back of sharp cuts in the COE quota over the last 12 months. The cuts coupled with the high COE premium have had an adverse impact on both the motor industry and car buyers. It added that under current rules, the situation is expected to worsen this year. On the removal of taxis from the Category A COE quota, it said over the last 20 years, the taxi population has more than doubled. With the liberalisation of taxi supply in 2003, there is now no cap on the taxi population. MTA said taxi operators currently compete with the private car buyer for a COE as they are required to bid for a Category A COE to register their new taxis.This puts additional pressure on the Category A COE premiums. And because they are business enterprises, taxi operators are in a better position to bid more for COEs. The MTA said higher COE premium for taxis translates to higher cost for taxi operators and this higher cost would inevitably be passed to the commuter in the form of higher transport fees. Higher transport costs would lead to higher inflation which will affect everyone. As to doing away with Category E COEs, it said this category can be used to register any vehicle. The MTA has suggested that Category E COEs be removed in order to allow for a more equitable spread of the COE quota and to prevent possible speculation of category E COEs. The MTA is interested in public feedback and these can be sent to [email protected] My feedback is let the buyers bid their own COE.... only with COE than you are allowed to buy the car from AD. AD should only provide price without COE. This should be made mandatory and no AD should submit COE on behalf of buyer. In addition, buyer should get their own financing and financing houses should market the packages directly to buyers and not through ADs that get a cut from deals. MTA should also provide market price statistics on used car markets for make, age and mileage to create transparency for seller so that those cocky sales man do not profit at the expense of car owners.... If not LTA should screw their proposals.... let those crappy car AD go bust. I have no sympathy for them. Not enough sales and not enough scrap for export..... they are screwed.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1104182/1/.html .....In a release issued on Wednesday, the MTA suggested the removal of taxis from the Category A COE quota, and doing away with Category E (open category) COEs. is high time to remove the taxis from cat A. perhaps reassign cat E to taxis only....