30 mins of daily exercise may ease depression symptoms
Just 30 minutes of exercise may reduce symptoms of depression for at least 75 minutes and also boost the benefits of therapy, two new studies show.
The amygdala grows too fast in babies who develop autism
The amygdala, an area of the brain critical for interpreting emotions, grows too rapidly in babies who go on to develop autism.
‘Chaos terrains’ may get oxygen into Europa’s hidden ocean
Oxygen in an ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa may be similar to oxygen in Earth’s oceans. “Our research puts this process into the realm of the possible.”
Discerning the Purpose and Means of Williamson v. Citrix
by Dennis Crouch
Functional claim language has long been a mainstay of U.S. patent law. In the historic case of O’Reilly v. Morse, 56 U.S. 62 (1853), the famous inventor of the single-line telegraph (Morse) claimed patent rights to the use of electro-magnetism for transmitting a signal–without limit to any “specific machinery or parts.” Id. The Supreme Court found the claim “too broad and covers too much ground.” Although Morse’s claim directed to a single functionally described element was deemed improper, patent attorneys quickly learned that a combination of functionally-claimed elements could work. An example of this is famously seen in the Wright Brothers early aircraft patents. See US821393.
The Supreme Court pushed-back again on functional claims–perhaps most notably in Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co. v. Walker, 329 U.S. 1 (1946). In Halliburton, the Supreme Court invalidated Walker’s means-plus-function claims as indefinite after holding that it was improper to claim an invention’s “most crucial element … in terms of what it will do rather than in terms of its own physical characteristics or its arrangement in the new combination apparatus.” Id.
Continue reading Discerning the Purpose and Means of Williamson v. Citrix at Patently-O.
‘Self driving’ lab investigates doped nanocrystals
A new “self-driving” lab could let researchers study metal halide perovskite nanocrystals and a broad array of semiconductor and metallic nanomaterials.
Too much screen time is really bad for teen well-being
Whether it’s watching TV, scrolling on social media, or playing a computer game, more than two hours of screen time negatively affects teen well-being.
Fungus has the oomph to crush invasive crazy ants
A fungus can fight back against tawny crazy ants, an invasive species that drives out native insects and small animals and is a real pain for homeowners.
Patients report neuropathy after COVID-19
Some people who got COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic experienced peripheral neuropathy during and following their infection, research shows.
How does where people live affect COVID-19 mortality rates?
“We know it’s not just different demographics alone. It’s the structural, economic, and social factors that define those places…”
Test flags sepsis before blood clots occur
A new test predicts sepsis before blood clots cause permanent organ damage, markedly increasing survival.