Feeling anxious? Check your orbitofrontal cortex, cultivate your optimism

 

Glass half full or half empty? What you see may depend in part on the size of your orbitofrontal cortex. Optimistic people also tend to be less anxious, research finds. Credit: Graphic by Julie McMahon A new study links anxiety, a brain structure called the orbitofrontal cortex, and optimism, finding that healthy adults who have larger OFCs tend to be more optimistic and less anxious. The new analysis, reported in the journal Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, offers the first evidence that optimism plays a mediating role in the relationship between the size of the OFC and anxiety. Anxiety disorders afflict roughly 44 million people in the U.S. These disorders disrupt lives and cost an estimated $42 billion to $47 billion annually, scientists report. The orbitofrontal cortex, a brain region located just behind the eyes, is known to play a role in anxiety. The OFC integrates intellectual and emotional information and is essential to behavioral regulation. Previous studies have found links between the size of a person's OFC and his or her susceptibility to anxiety. For example, in a well-known study of young adults whose brains were imaged before and after the colossal 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, researchers discovered that the OFC actually shrank in some study subjects within four months of the disaster. Those with more OFC shrinkage were likely to also be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the researchers found. Other studies have shown that more optimistic people tend to be less anxious, and that optimistic thoughts increase OFC activity. The team on the new study hypothesized that a larger OFC might act as a buffer against anxiety in part by boosting optimism. Most studies of anxiety focus on those who have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders, said University of Illinois researcher Sanda Dolcos, who led the research with graduate student Yifan Hu and psychology professor Florin Dolcos. "We wanted to go in the opposite direction," she said. "If there can be shrinkage of the orbitofrontal cortex and that shrinkage is associated with anxiety disorders, what does it mean in healthy populations that have larger OFCs? Could that have a protective role?" The researchers also wanted to know whether optimism was part of the mechanism linking larger OFC brain volumes to lesser anxiety. The team collected MRIs of 61 healthy young adults and analyzed the structure of a number of regions in their brains, including the OFC. The researchers calculated the volume of gray matter in each brain region relative to the overall volume of the brain. The study subjects also completed tests that assessed their optimism and anxiety, depression symptoms, and positive (enthusiastic, interested) and negative (irritable, upset) affect. A statistical analysis and modeling revealed that a thicker orbitofrontal cortex on the left side of the brain corresponded to higher optimism and less anxiety. The model also suggested that optimism played a mediating role in reducing anxiety in those with larger OFCs. Further analyses ruled out the role of other positive traits in reducing anxiety, and no other brain structures appeared to be involved in reducing anxiety by boosting optimism. "You can say, 'OK, there is a relationship between the orbitofrontal cortex and anxiety. What do I do to reduce anxiety?'" Sanda Dolcos said. "And our model is saying, this is working partially through optimism. So optimism is one of the factors that can be targeted." "Optimism has been investigated in social psychology for years. But somehow only recently did we start to look at functional and structural associations of this trait in the brain," Hu said. "We wanted to know: If we are consistently optimistic about life, would that leave a mark in the brain?" Florin Dolcos said future studies should test whether optimism can be increased and anxiety reduced by training people in tasks that engage the orbitofrontal cortex, or by finding ways to boost optimism directly. "If you can train people's responses, the theory is that over longer periods, their ability to control their responses on a moment-by-moment basis will eventually be embedded in their brain structure," he said. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The original item was written by Diana Yates. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal References: Sanda Dolcos et al. Optimism and the Brain: Trait Optimism Mediates the Protective Role of the Orbitofrontal Cortex Gray Matter Volume against Anxiety. Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, September 2015 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv106 A Sekiguchi, M Sugiura, Y Taki, Y Kotozaki, R Nouchi, H Takeuchi, T Araki, S Hanawa, S Nakagawa, C M Miyauchi, A Sakuma, R Kawashima. Brain structural changes as vulnerability factors and acquired signs of post-earthquake stress. Molecular Psychiatry, 2012; 18 (5): 618 DOI:10.1038/mp.2012.51   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150922115819.htm

Researchers develop the first non-volatile all-optical chip memory based on phase change materials

 

All-optical data memory: ultra-short light pulses make the GST material change from crystalline to amorphous and back. Weak light pulses read out the data. Credit: C. Rios/Oxford University The first all-optical permanent on-chip memory has been developed by scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the universities of Münster, Oxford, and Exeter. This is an important step on the way towards optical computers. Phase change materials that change their optical properties depending on the arrangement of the atoms allow for the storage of several bits in a single cell. The researchers present their development in the journal Nature Photonics (10.1038/nphoton.2015.182). Light determines the future of information and communication technology: With optical elements, computers can work more rapidly and more efficiently. Optical fibers have long since been used for the transmission of data with light. But on a computer, data are still processed and stored electronically. Electronic exchange of data between processors and the memory limits the speed of modern computers. To overcome this so-called von Neumann bottleneck, it is not sufficient to optically connect memory and processor, as the optical signals have to be converted into electric signals again. Scientists, hence, look for methods to carry out calculations and data storage in a purely optical manner. Scientists of KIT, the University of Münster, Oxford University, and Exeter University have now developed the first all-optical, non-volatile on-chip memory. "Optical bits can be written at frequencies of up to a gigahertz. This allows for extremely quick data storage by our all-photonic memory," Professor Wolfram Pernice explains. Pernice headed a working group of the KIT Institute of Nanotechnology (INT) and recently moved to the University of Münster. "The memory is compatible not only with conventional optical fiber data transmission, but also with latest processors," Professor Harish Bhaskaran of Oxford University adds. The new memory can store data for decades even when the power is removed. Its capacity to store many bits in a single cell of a billionth of a meter in size (multi-level memory) also is highly attractive. Instead of the usual information values of 0 and 1, several states can be stored in an element and even autonomous calculations can be made. This is due to so-called phase change materials, novel materials that change their optical properties depending on the arrangement of the atoms: Within shortest periods of time, they can change between crystalline (regular) and amorphous (irregular) states. For the memory, the scientists used the phase change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST). The change from crystalline to amorphous (storing data) and from amorphous to crystalline (erasing data) is initiated by ultrashort light pulses. For reading out the data, weak light pulses are used. Permanent all-optical on-chip memories might considerably increase future performance of computers and reduce their energy consumption. Together with all-optical connections, they might reduce latencies. Energy-intensive conversion of optical signals into electronic signals and vice versa would no longer be required.   Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Carlos Ríos, Matthias Stegmaier, Peiman Hosseini, Di Wang, Torsten Scherer, C. David Wright, Harish Bhaskaran, Wolfram H. P. Pernice. Integrated all-photonic non-volatile multi-level memory. Nature Photonics, 2015; DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2015.182 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150922114949.htm

Custom-built ultrafast laser that could help image everything from semiconductor chips to cells in real time

 

In coherent diffraction imaging, extreme ultraviolet light scatters off the target and produces a diffraction pattern. A computer analyzes the pattern to reconstruct an image of the target material. Credit: Dr. Michael Zürch, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany Using ultrafast beams of extreme ultraviolet light streaming at a 100,000 times a second, researchers from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, have pushed the boundaries of a well-established imaging technique. Not only did they make the highest resolution images ever achieved with this method at a given wavelength, they also created images fast enough to be used in real time. Their new approach could be used to study everything from semiconductor chips to cancer cells. The team will present their work at the Frontiers in Optics, The Optical Society's annual meeting and conference in San Jose, California, USA, on 22 October 2015. The researchers' wanted to improve on a lensless imaging technique called coherent diffraction imaging, which has been around since the 1980s. To take a picture with this method, scientists fire an X-ray or extreme ultraviolet laser at a target. The light scatters off, and some of those photons interfere with one another and find their way onto a detector, creating a diffraction pattern. By analyzing that pattern, a computer then reconstructs the path those photons must have taken, which generates an image of the target material -- all without the lens that's required in conventional microscopy. "The computer does the imaging part -- forget about the lens," explained Michael Zürch, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany and lead researcher. "The computer emulates the lens." Without a lens, the quality of the images primarily depends on the radiation source. Traditionally, researchers use big, powerful X-ray beams like the one at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, USA. Over the last ten years, researchers have developed smaller, cheaper machines that pump out coherent, laser-like beams in the laboratory setting. While those machines are convenient from the cost perspective, they have drawbacks when reporting results. The table-top machines are unable to produce as many photons as the big expensive ones which limits their resolution. To achieve higher resolutions, the detector must be placed close to the target material -- similar to placing a specimen close to a microscope to boost the magnification. Given the geometry of such short distances, hardly any photons will bounce off the target at large enough angles to reach the detector. Without enough photons, the image quality is reduced. Zürch and a team of researchers from Jena University used a special, custom-built ultrafast laser that fires extreme ultraviolet photons a hundred times faster than conventional table-top machines. With more photons, at a wavelength of 33 nanometers, the researchers were able to make an image with a resolution of 26 nanometers -- almost the theoretical limit. "Nobody has achieved such a high resolution with respect to the wavelength in the extreme ultraviolet before," Zürch said. The ultrafast laser also overcame another drawback of conventional table-top light sources: long exposure times. If researchers have to wait for images, they can't get real-time feedback on the systems they study. Thanks to the new high-speed light source, Zürch and his colleagues have reduced the exposure time to only about a second -- fast enough for real-time imaging. When taking snapshots every second, the researchers reached a resolution below 80 nanometers. The prospect of high-resolution and real-time imaging using such a relatively small setup could lead to all kinds of applications, Zürch said. Engineers can use this to hunt for tiny defects in semiconductor chips. Biologists can zoom in on the organelles that make up a cell. Eventually, he said, the researchers might be able to cut down on the exposure times even more and reach even higher resolution levels. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by The Optical Society.Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150921182115.htm

New graphene oxide biosensors may accelerate research of HIV, cancer drugs

 

This is a close-up view to this state-of-art biosensor. Credit: Victor Anaskin Longing to find a cure for cancer, HIV and other yet incurable diseases, researchers have already tried out hundreds of drugs, each requiring preclinical and clinical testing with live subjects. How many chemical agents more to try? Moving at such rate, will we find the cure during our lifetime? One of the easiest ways to speed up the drug development process is to simply perform it outside of the living body (e.g., by watching the substances react with the smallest pieces of live tissue and thus quickly predicting the overall effect it will make to the body when inside). This approach will eventually provide more effective preclinical selection of drug candidates for the subsequent long-term and expensive clinical trial. This could get the humanity closer to finding the cures we've long been seeking for. Researchers from the Laboratory of Nanooptics and Plasmonics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology -- MIPT (Russia) have devised a novel type of graphene oxide (GO) based biosensor that could potentially significantly speed up the process of drug development. The outstanding properties of this carbon allotrope help to improve significantly the biosensing sensitivity, which in future may enable the development of new drugs and vaccines against many dangerous diseases including HIV, hepatitis and cancer. The research, led by Yury Stebunov, a scientist at the MIPT, was published in the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The paper is titled "Highly sensitive and selective sensor chips with graphene-oxide linking layer." Valentyn Volkov is the co-lead author, a visiting professor from the University of Southern Denmark. Other co-authors are Olga Aftenieva and Aleksey Arsenin. New GO based biosensor chips exploit the phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Surface plasmons are electromagnetic waves propagating along a metal-dielectric interface (e.g., gold/air) and having the amplitudes exponentially decaying in the neighbor media. Adsorption of molecules from solution onto a sensing surface alters the refractive index of the medium near this surface and, therefore, changes the conditions of SPR. These sensors can detect biomolecule adsorption even at a few trillionth of a gram per millimeter square. Owing to the above-mentioned merits, SPR biosensing is an outstanding platform to boost technological progress in the areas of medicine and biotechnology. Nevertheless, the most distinctive feature of such sensors is an ability to "visualize" molecular interactions in real time. "SPR biosensing is a valuable tool to investigate a wide range of biochemical reactions, estimate their chemical kinetics and other characteristics. All this can be efficiently used for new drug discovery and validation. Widespread introduction of this method into preclinical trials will completely change the pharmaceutical industry. With SPR sensors we just need to estimate the interaction between the drug and targets on the sensing surface," Stebunov said. Most commercial SPR sensor chips comprise a thin glass plate covered by gold layer with thiol or polymer layers on it. The biosensing sensitivity depends on the properties of chip surface. Higher binding capacity for biomolecules increases the signal levels and accuracy of analysis. The last several years, novel carbon materials like graphene have attracted much attention due to their large surface area, low-cost fabrication, and interaction with a wide range of biomolecules. Stebunov and the team from the Laboratory of Nanooptics and Plasmonics at MIPT created and patented a novel type of SPR sensor chips with the linking layer, made of GO, a material with more attractive optical and chemical properties than pristine graphene. The GO "flakes" were deposited on the 35 nm gold layer. Thereafter a layer of streptavidin protein was developed on GO for selective immobilization of biomolecules. Scientists conducted a series of experiments with the GO chip, the commercially available chip with carboxymethylated dextran (CMD) layer and the chip covered by monolayer graphene. Experiments showed that the proposed GO chip has three times higher sensitivity than the CMD chip and 3.7 times than the chip with pristine graphene. These results mean, that the new chip needs much less molecules for detecting a compound and can be used for analysis of chemical reactions with small drug molecules. An important advantage of the new GO based sensor chips is their simplicity and low-cost fabrication compared to sensor chips that are already commercially available. "Our invention will help in drug development against viral and cancer diseases. We are expecting that pharmaceutical industry will express a strong demand for our technology," Stebunov said. "The sensor can also find applications in food quality control, toxin screening, the sensor can significantly shorten a time for a clinical diagnostic," researcher added. However, the developed chip should go through a clinical trial for medical applications. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150922115647.htm

Relembrando Nat King Cole’s “Love Letters”

 

Diabetic ketoacidosis

 

Definition By Mayo Clinic Staff Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones. The condition develops when your body can't produce enough insulin. Insulin normally plays a key role in helping sugar (glucose) — a major source of energy for your muscles and other tissues — enter your cells. Without enough insulin, your body begins to break down fat as fuel. This process produces a buildup of acids in the bloodstream called ketones, eventually leading to diabetic ketoacidosis if untreated. If you have diabetes or you're at risk of diabetes, learn the warning signs of diabetic ketoacidosis — and know when to seek emergency care. Symptoms http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-ketoacidosis/basics/definition/con-20026470

Many Ways To Make Your Groceries Last As Long As Possible

 

 

If you love cooking but are tortured by the cruel, limited shelf life of fresh foods, these tips are for you.

Peggy Wang

BuzzFeed Staff

Onions stored in pantyhose will last as long as 8 months.

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Put onions in pantyhose, and tie knots between onion. Plus it makes a freaky wall art installation!

 

Freeze green onions in a plastic bottle.

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Make sure the green onions are completely dry before storing or they’ll get freezer burn.

 

Get an ethylene gas absorber for the fridge.

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A set of 3 costs $16. These little pods absorb the ethylene emitted by fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh up to 3x longer. Here’s a handy list of ethylene-producing and ethylene-sensitive foods.

 

Store delicate herbs like flowers, then cover with plastic, secure with a rubberband, and refrigerate.

This is the best way to keep delicate herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro, and chives fresh the longest.

 

Treat oily herbs differently.

Oily herbs like thyme can be tied loosely together with string and hung in the open air.

 

If you use a lot of fresh herbs…

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Invest in an Herb Savor. Supposedly, it’ll make your herbs last up to three weeks.

 

Use a vinegar solution to make your berries last longer.

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Prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider) and ten parts water. Swirl the berries around in the mixture, drain, rinse, and put them in the fridge. The solution is diluted enough that you won’t taste the vinegar. Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft.

 

Spray leftover guacamole with cooking spray before putting it back in the fridge.

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There are a number of ways to keep avocado green, and oil is one of them. You should also keep the pit in the guacamole.

 

Don’t store onions with potatoes.

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They’ll spoil faster. In a cool dry place with good air circulation, onions will last 2-3 months.

 

Store potatoes with apples to keep them from sprouting.

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One rotten apple can spoil the bunch.

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It’s not just an old wives’ tale.

 

Add a dab of butter to the cut side of cheese to keep it from drying out.

thedailymeal.com

 

More cheese rules:

thekitchn.com

Wrap in cheese paper or wax paper (NOT plastic wrap) and then place in a plastic baggie. Keep in the warmest part of the fridge (vegetable or cheese drawer).

 

Freeze and preserve fresh herbs in olive oil.

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The herbs will infuse the oil while freezing, and the ice cubes are very handy for cooking: just pop one out and use as the base of a dish. Works best with rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano. Dill, basil, and mint should always be used fresh.

 

Follow these rules on where to place items within your fridge:

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Store asparagus like cut flowers.

alwaysorderdessert.com

Sort of. Cut the stems, place in water, throw a plastic bag over ‘em and refrigerate. They’ll stay crisp for a week or longer, and you can use this trick on cilantro and parsley as well. See here for more details.

 

Wrap the crown of a bunch of bananas with plastic wrap.

They’ll keep for 3-5 days longer than usual, which is especially helpful if you eat organic bananas. Bananas also produce more ethelyne gas than any other fruit, so keep them isolated on the counter.

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This trick using a paper towel will keep your salad lettuce fresh all week long.

The paper towel will absorb the moisture. Get more info here.

Also, you might want to invest in a salad spinner. It’ll get rid of moisture, which is the culprit of wilting leaves.

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Wrap celery, broccoli, and lettuce in tin foil before storing in the fridge.

It’ll stay crisp for 4 weeks or more.

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Mason jars are your friend.

They provide a healthier and longer-lasting alternative to plastic tupperware, which deteriorates and stains easily. Produce will keep a few days longer if stored in a jar.

easyst2.blogspot.com

 

Clean your fridge.

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Once something goes bad in your fridge or cupboards, it leaves behind a nice gang of mold ready to eat up your new food. Disinfect the fridge — it’ll make everything last a little longer.

 

How to store tomatoes:

yumsugar.com

Don’t store tomatoes in plastic bags! The trapped ethylene will make them ripen faster.

Unripe tomatoes should be kept stem side down, in a paper bag or single layer in a cardboard box in a cool area until they turn red in color. To ripen faster, store with fruit. The gases emitted will help ripen the tomatoes.

Perfectly ripe tomatoes should be kept at room temperature, on the counter away from sunlight, in a single layer, not touching one another, stem side up.

Overly ripe tomatoes should be put in the fridge, but let them come to room temperature before eating them.

via Yumsugar.

 

Reuse plastic bottles to close up your plastic bags.

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Make sure your produce is absolutely dry before putting the cap on.

 

Keep ginger in the freezer.

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It grates much more easily, and the peel grates up so fine that you don’t actually need to peel it. Plus it lasts way longer.

Roast nuts as soon as you get home from the store, then store them in the freezer.

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/27-ways-to-make-your-groceries-last-as-long-as-pos#.xePD7nQ77