How Your Cat Could Make You Mentally Ill

 

New research examines the link between cat-carried parasite and schizophrenia Cats may rule the Internet and make beloved pets, but a recent study has revealed that they may also be linked to mental illness. As cute as they can be, cats can carry a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), which can be passed on to humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates more than 60 million people in the U.S. may have it,CBS reports. Though most people will never develop symptoms of a T. gondii infection, those with weakened immune symptoms could develop an illness called toxoplasmosis, which could lead to miscarriages, fetal development disorders, a flu-like illness, blindness and in extreme cases even death. Recently published research now suggests that there could be a link between the cat-carried parasite and mental illness. The researchers, E. Fuller Torrey of the Stanley Medical Research Institute and Dr. Robert H. Yolken of Stanley Laboratory of Developmental Neurovirology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have been investigating a possible link between the parasite and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The new research, published in Schizophrenia Research, examines whether cat ownership in childhood is significantly more common in families in which the child later becomes seriously mentally ill. “Cat ownership in childhood has now been reported in three studies to be significantly more common in families in which the child is later diagnosed with schizophrenia or another serious mental illness,” the authors of the study said in a statement. Another recent study, published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, looked at dozens of published studies that also found that T. gondii infection is associated with mental disorders. The results of the research showed that a person infected with the parasite was almost twice as likely to develop schizophrenia. So what can cat-loving parents do? Study author Torrey told CBS that, “Children can be protected by keeping their cat exclusively indoors and always covering the sandbox when not in use.” Black Cat Audition, 1961 Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images   http://time.com/3912258/cats-parasite-mental-illness/

New approach to creating computer memory

 

Thu, 10/08/2015 - 7:41am Chad Boutin, NIST A magnetized cobalt disk (red) placed atop a thin cobalt-palladium film (light purple background) can be made to confer its own ringed configuration of magnetic moments (orange arrows) to the film below, creating a skyrmion in the film (purple arrows). The skyrmion, which is stable at room temperature, might be usable in computer memory systems. Image: Dustin Gilbert/NISTWhat can skyrmions do for you? These ghostly quantum rings, heretofore glimpsed only under extreme laboratory conditions, just might be the basis for a new type of computer memory that never loses its grip on the data it stores. Now, thanks to a research team including scientists from NIST, the exotic ring-shaped magnetic effects have been coaxed out of the physicist's deepfreeze with a straightforward method that creates magnetic skyrmions under ambient room conditions. The achievement brings skyrmions a step closer for use in real-world data storage as well as other novel magnetic and electronic technologies. If you have a passing familiarity with particle physics, you might expect skyrmions to be particles; after all, they sound a lot like fermions, a class of particles that includes protons and neutrons. But skyrmions are not fundamental pieces of matter (not even of yogurt); they are effects named after the physicist who proposed them. Until just recently, magnetic skyrmions had only been seen at very low temperatures and under powerful magnetic fields. The magnetic force in each individual atom in a magnet--what physicists call their "magnetic moments"—all line up the same way, like tiny compasses all pointing in the same direction. But under extreme conditions, certain magnetic materials (such as MnSi or FeCoSi) can, instead, develop spots where the moments curve and twist, forming a winding, ring-like configuration. These unusual objects possess an elasticity that protects them from outside influence, meaning the data they store would not be corrupted easily, even by stray magnetic fields or physical defects within the material. As a result, magnetic skyrmions present a promising basis for information memory systems and other nanoelectronic devices. A hurdle in using traditional skyrmions was the extreme lab conditions needed to form them. Until recently, scientists glimpsed magnetic skyrmions only at low temperatures. While NIST's Dustin Gilbert was a graduate student in Kai Liu's lab at the Univ. of California, Davis, he and Liu not only designed an approach to make the quantum objects, but also their creations remained stable at room temperature, with no magnetic field. It took a trip to NIST to confirm the skyrmions' existence. Creating them involves placing arrays of tiny magnetized cobalt disks atop a thin film made of cobalt and palladium; the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) had just developed a state-of-art polarized neutron reflectometer that was well suited to study their lab results. Working with NCNR scientists, the team used neutrons to see through the disk to spot the skyrmions underneath. The team also captured images of the whirling configurations in the disk array at NIST's Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. According to Gilbert, the findings should interest anyone following spintronics, a field that aims to use magnetic effects such as those skyrmions exhibit for information storage and processing. "The idea that has been discussed is that, for example, you could just push these stable magnetic bundles in single file down a line and read their data. The advantage here is that you'd need way less power to push them around than any other method proposed for spintronics," says Gilbert, who recently began a postdoctoral fellowship at the NCNR. "What we need to do next is figure out how to make them move around. But for now, we can start exploring how we might use skyrmions in technology—the playground is open." Source: NIST http://www.rdmag.com/news/2015/10/new-approach-creating-computer-memory

Agave: The Elixir for Parties and Biofuel?

 

Thu, 10/08/2015 - 10:03am Greg Watry, Digital Reporter Image: T photography/Shutterstock.com Famous for its role in tequila and mezcal production, the agave plant was worshipped by Mexico’s natives long before the Spaniards arrived in the 15th century. The Aztec goddess Mayheul was closely associated with agave, a symbol for life, health, dance and fertility. According to the International Organic Agave Alliance, archeological findings date the plants usage back some 10,000 years. But the broad-leafed, spiky plant may have more use than just supplying a bottle of spirits for a wild weekend revelry. Researchers from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls released a study in PLOS ONE touting the plant as a potential source for biofuel. “Bioethanol yields from agave fermentation could rival the most successful biofuel feedstock crops around the world,” said co-author Prof. Rachel Burton, of the Univ. of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine. “Importantly, it doesn’t compete with food crops; it’s fast growing so the whole plant could be used rather than just harvesting the leaves; and it is up to 10 times more water efficient than some other crop plants.” Studying Agave americana and Agave tequilana, the researchers found use of the former could yield 4,000 to 13,600 L/ha/yr, and the latter, 4,400 to 14,800 L/ha/yr. If the whole plant is used, that is. Even at the low end, the values surpass theoretical yields from first-generation feedstocks, such as corn, wheat and sugarcane, according to the researchers. The high values double yields from recently investigated biofuel sources, such as poplar, sorghum and switchgrass. Tequila and mezcal are made from the stem tissue of Agave tequilana when the plants are between eight and 12 years old. When heated, the stem tissues release fermentable fructose. However, the leftover leaves, which the researchers say accounts for 66% of the biomass, is discarded. “Waste leaves could generate up to (8,000 L/ha/yr) and increase profit from the agave crop, or, if directly separating and fermenting the juice was more economically viable, up to 4,000 (L/ha/yr) is achievable,” said Burton. Research is in progress to find the best cultivation methods for bioethanol production.   http://www.rdmag.com/articles/2015/10/agave-elixir-parties-and-biofuel