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

Smoking set to kill one in three young men in China

 

One in three of all the young men in China will eventually be killed by tobacco, unless a substantial proportion stop smoking, according to new research published in The Lancet. Two-thirds of the young men in China start to smoke, mostly before age 20, and the study, led by researchers from Oxford University, UK, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control, shows that around half of those who start smoking cigarettes as young men will eventually be killed by tobacco, unless they stop permanently. The researchers conducted two large, nationally representative studies 15 years apart, tracking the health consequences of smoking in a large group of people in China. The first study took place in the 1990s, and involved a quarter of a million men. The second study is ongoing, and involved half a million men and women. The results show that in China the annual number of tobacco deaths, mostly among men, had reached 1 million by 2010, and if current trends continue, it will be 2 million by 2030. Among Chinese women, however, smoking rates have plummeted and the risk of premature death from tobacco is low and falling. In recent decades there has been a large increase in cigarette smoking by young men, and the research shows the consequences that are now emerging. The proportion of all male deaths at ages 40-79 that are attributed to smoking has doubled, from about 10% in the early 1990s, to about 20% now. In urban areas this proportion is higher, at 25%, and is still rising. In rural areas it is currently lower, but is set to rise even more steeply than in cities, due to the high prevalence of smoking and low rate of cessation in rural China. Conversely, the women of working age in China now smoke much less than the older generation. About 10% of the women born in the 1930s smoked, but only about 1% of those born in the 1960s did so. Hence, overall female deaths caused by tobacco are decreasing, and less than 1% of deaths in women born since 1960 are due to tobacco. Other studies, however, have shown a recent increase in smoking uptake by young women that could eventually reverse this downward trend. Professor Zhengming Chen from the University of Oxford, UK, a study co-author, says: "About two-thirds of young Chinese men become cigarette smokers, and most start before they are 20. Unless they stop, about half of them will eventually be killed by their habit." However, an increasing proportion of smokers are choosing to stop, and the study results show that between 1991 and 2006, the proportion of smokers who had quit rose from 3% to 9%. For smokers who stopped before developing any serious disease, after ten years of not smoking their risk was similar to that of people who had never smoked. According to study co-author Professor Liming Li, from the Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China, "Without rapid, committed, and widespread action to reduce smoking levels China will face enormous numbers of premature deaths." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151008191048.htm

Lab has made new discoveries at the cellular, molecular levels about how the eye processes light

 

The image shows a Drosophila compound eye stained with antibodies that recognize TRP (magenta) and anti-XPORT-B (green). Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Santa Barbara An animal's ability to perceive light incorporates many complex processes. Now, researchers in Craig Montell's lab at UC Santa Barbara have used fruit flies and mice to make novel discoveries about sensory physiology at both cellular and molecular levels that are important for light processing. Their most recent findings, which improve the scientific understanding of the signaling cascade necessary for phototransduction -- the process by which light is converted into electrical signals in the photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye -- appear today in the journal Cell Reports. More than 25 years ago, Montell discovered TRP channels, which allow animals to detect light, chemicals in food, mechanical force and changes in temperature. These proteins act at the cell surface, but very little was known about the mechanism by which they are transported to the cell surface. Until now, scientists knew of only one protein, XPORT, that was a "helper protein" involved in getting TRP proteins to the outer surface of cells. However, using the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), postdoctoral fellow Zijing Chen found that the XPORT gene in fact encodes two unrelated molecular chaperone proteins -- XPORT-A and XPORT-B -- and both are critical for moving TRP channels out of their synthesis site inside the cells. "This discovery is important because if TRP proteins don't get to the cell surface, they are not going to be able to function, and the animals will not see properly," said Montell, a professor in UCSB's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. "The light that activates the photoreceptor cells is not directly activating TRP but rather a light sensor called rhodopsin," Montell explained. This primary pigment found in photoreceptor cells is extremely sensitive to light. "What's interesting is that both XPORT-A and XPORT-B are required for getting rhodopsin and TRP to the cell surface," he added. According to Montell, mutations in TRP have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders, pain syndromes, neuropathies and bone deformations. Understanding the intricacies of TRP function is the first step toward identifying drugs that could affect their activity and one day be used as therapeutic targets. TRP channels also function in light sensation in mammals, including humans. However, they do not have central roles in rods or cones, which allow mammals to see images. Rather, TRPs in mammals function in a third class of photoreceptor cell, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). The ipRGCs are necessary for setting circadian rhythms by light as well as pupillary constriction in response to light. The ipRGCs are activated by bright light and also stimulated through pathways initiated in rods and cones. However, the pathways and molecules that allow rods and cones to stimulate ipRGCs indirectly by light have been poorly understood. In another paper, published in the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell, Marquis Walker, a postdoctoral fellow working with Montell, used mice to explore the indirect pathway for activating ipRGCs. They found that a protein called retinal degeneration B2 (RDGB2) was critical in connector neurons called amacrine cells located in the inner retina, between the rods and cones and ipRGCs. "This study reveals the first molecular player that is important in sending signals from the rods into the ipRGCs," Montell said. "This indirect communication allows the ipRGCs to respond to dim light that activates rod photoreceptor cells." The first RDGB protein was identified in the eye of the fruit fly and Montell and Walker wanted to determine its role in the mammalian retina. They found that RDGB2 in mice is required for normal circadian activity and pupil constriction -- but only in dim light. "Understanding all the cells, pathways and molecules is necessary if you want to develop therapies for jet lag or problems related to circadian rhythm," Montell said. "We need to understand the whole cellular and molecular mechanism in order to ultimately come up with new approaches and drugs to deal with these issues." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Barbara. The original item was written by Julie Cohen. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: zijing Chen, Hsiang-Chin Chen, Craig Montell. TRP and Rhodopsin Transport Depends on Dual XPORT ER Chaperones Encoded by an Operon. Cell Reports, October 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.09.018 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151008152822.htm

Alimentos que te ajudam a dormir tranquilamente

 

Se você estiver tendo problemas para dormir à noite talvez seja porque está consumindo um jantar muito pesado ou sua dieta não seja completamente saudável. No artigo a seguir, o site Melhor com Saúde revela quais são os melhores alimentos para dormir tranquilamente.  Primeiro passo: determine se você sofre de algum desequilíbrio do sono Se, em alguma ocasião, você não conseguir dormir direito a noite toda não é para ficar alarmado… Mas se este episódio for frequente e estiver piorando, você pode estar sofrendo de insônia. Esta condição é caracterizada por não se poder dormir a noite toda, ou levar um longo tempo desde o momento que se deita, até finalmente conciliar o sonho (às vezes um pouco antes do nascer do sol ou do despertador soar). Na maioria dos casos a insônia é causada por estresse, nervosismo ou ansiedade, também problemas pessoais e até mesmo o que comemos. Às vezes pode ser devido à apneia do sono, problemas cardiovasculares ou depressão. Alimentos ricos em proteínas: Você se sentirá satisfeito, sem excessos e não terá que encher seu prato e consumir um jantar abundante. Dentro deste grupo estão: Frutas frescas; Queijo; Ovos; Chocolate quente; Peru (rico em triptofano, uma substância que produz a saciedade muito rapidamente. Mas também tem a capacidade de nos ajudar a dormir profunda e tranquilamente. Coma uma porção desta carne com verduras várias vezes por semana e verá a diferença).  Água: Não se esqueça de hidratar seu corpo durante todo o dia, mas especialmente à noite. Antes de ir para a cama beba um copo de água morna. Se estiver frio você pode fazer na forma de chá de ervas, por exemplo (nada de café, refrigerantes ou suco industrializado). Banana: Ela tem 2 nutrientes muito importantes que atuam como auxiliares naturais do sono: a melatonina e o triptofano já mencionado. Ela também fornece magnésio, o que alivia a tensão física. Comer uma banana na sobremesa faz com que o cérebro dê uma ordem ao o corpo de que já é hora de dormir. Mel: Um copo de leite quente com uma colher de sopa de mel para adoçar é um excelente remédio para dormir em paz. Reduz os níveis de um hormônio chamado orexina, cuja função é ativar o estado de vigília. Então, se estiver reduzida, nós podemos dormir quase que instantaneamente. Farinha de aveia: É muito rica em fibras e, se comida quente, é um incentivo para o estômago. Você pode dormir sem problemas se jantar aveia. Você também pode consumir uma tigela de leite quente misturado com esse alimento uma hora antes de deitar. Basta fechar os olhos, pois ficarão muito “pesados”! Camomila: Beba todas as noites antes de dormir uma xícara de chá de camomila adoçado com uma colher de chá de mel. Relaxa a mente e o corpo, permitindo que os músculos descansem. Pão integral: Uma fatia de pão permite a liberação de insulina no corpo. Esta viaja através da corrente sanguínea, atingindo o sangue e produzindo serotonina: uma substância que elimina a depressão e o estado de alerta, e você poderá dormir à noite sem problemas. Você nem imagina o resultado, se ainda passar um pouco de mel!

New video shows the human toll of Russian airstrikes in Syria

90% of Russian airstrikes in Syria have not targeted ISIS 4 Russian cruise missiles aimed at Syria crashed in Iran: US officials A man stands amid rubble in an amateur video said to have been shot on 8 October in Latamna, Hama province, Syria. He said his home had been destroyed by a Russian air strike the day before. "Yesterday, the f***ing Russian plane with Assad's help, look at this. I have no home left, I have nothing left. I did not manage to get mattresses out or clothes for my girls. Look at this destruction," he said. "No clothes, no nothing. Look at all this destruction that they have caused," he added. Syrian troops and militia backed by Russian warplanes mounted what appeared to be their first major coordinated assault on Syrian insurgents on 7 October and Moscow said its warships fired a barrage of missiles at them from the Caspian Sea, a sign of its new military reach. The combined operation hit towns close to the main north-south highway that runs through major cities in the mainly government-held west of Syria, said the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, a British-based group that tracks the conflict via a network of sources within the country. Hama is located between Aleppo and Damascus on the highway. The Syrian government, again backed by Russian air power, continued the major offensive on 8 October. Russian air strikes started last week and have mostly focused in areas of western Syria where Assad has sought to shore up his control after losing swathes of the rest of the country to insurgents including Islamic State.   http://www.businessinsider.com/new-video-shows-the-human-toll-of-russian-airstrikes-in-syria-2015-10

The self-sufficient NexusHaus provides energy, water, and food

 

With roughly 100 people moving there on a daily basis, Austin is battling to keep pace with rising demand for natural resources like energy and water. But don't worry, the solar-powered NexusHaus has got the city covered. A 784 sf prototypical modular home for the Austin Community Design & Development Center's (ACDDC) Alley Flat Initiative, which aims to make use of neglected secondary lots throughout the city, the carbon-neutral home features a state-of-the-art solar system with each panel embedded with its own inverter to convert direct current to alternating current. This makes the central inverter redundant, and allows each panel to operate independently. Comprised of two modular parts, the smart home also conserves water in a big way and grows its own food with an "all-food residential landscape." Entered into the 2015 Solar Decathlon competition by the Technische Universitaet Muenchen in Germany and The University of Texas at Austin, Nexus-Haus is bound to be among this year’s winners

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Comprised of two rectangular modules measuring 14 by 28 feet – one for daytime functions and one for night – NexusHaus employs a variety of both active and passive measures to ensure the two bedroom home is not only highly livable, but also exceptionally energy efficient. Connected by a 12-foot breezeway, the two modules can be operated separately, which helps to reduce energy consumption. A dog-trot porch and central covered canopy extend the interior living space while rain screens and canopies help to support a rainwater harvesting system and an edible landscape.

Related: The amazing affordable NexusHaus generates more energy than it consumes

The main material used to construct the home, certified green wood with a low embodied carbon footprint, gives it a warm and inviting aesthetic while also sequestering carbon. This, combined with the 7kW photovoltaic array installed on the roof, contributes to its carbon neutrality. In addition to the innovative inverters, which help to minimize the effect of partially-shaded panels, this solar array dramatically reduces installation costs with a lighter frame that has fewer penetration points. This also cuts down energy waste.

Thoroughly bathed in natural light, super compact, breezy and carefully designed to maximize views without excess solar gain, the NexusHaus will be Austin Green Building certified, and the team intends to apply for LEED Platinum certification. Stay tuned as we continue our coverage of the international collegiate Solar Decathlon competition, which consistently delivers the most cutting-edge advances in sustainable design, solar solutions, and thoughtful engineering.

+ NexusHaus

+ Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Coverage

Photos by Mike Chino for Inhabitat; renderings via NexusHaus

 

http://inhabitat.com/every-solar-panel-on-this-co2-neutral-austin-home-has-its-own-inverter/

The Best Things You Can Do to Ease Your Constipation

 

What To Do for Constipation Photo Credit: Blend Images - Peathegee Inc/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images Written or medically reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Policy. Updated October 05, 2015. Whether you find yourself dealing with occasional bouts of constipation or the chronic health conditions of constipation-predominant-IBS (IBS-C) or chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), you know the distress of having bowel movements that happen infrequently and are made up of stools that are small, hard, and painful to pass. Gas and bloating usually come along for the ride. You may find that you are straining and that you end up with a sense of incomplete emptying. So frustrating! Constipation occurs when the contractions of the colon are too slow, which causes too much water to be drawn out of the stool, and results in infrequent bowel movements. Why this happens is not always clear. What is clear is that there are certain things you can do on your own to try to ease your discomfort and get things moving again! Some of these things are based on science, while some are based on common sense or folk wisdom. Don't skip the last slide - it will offer you articles that will provide you with in-depth information related to many of the recommendations. Note: If you are dealing with constipation on a regular basis, be sure to tell your doctor so as to obtain a proper diagnosis. Let's start with a nice, pleasant recommendation...     http://ibs.about.com/od/constipation/ss/Constipation-Self-Care.htm

Smoking, heavy alcohol use are associated with epigenetic signs of aging

 

All levels of exposure to smoke were associated with significantly premature aging, the scientists report. Interestingly, moderate alcohol use -- about one to two drinks per day -- was correlated with the healthiest aging, while very low and high consumption were linked to accelerated aging. Credit: © Frank Täubel / Fotolia Cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol use cause epigenetic changes to DNA that reflect accelerated biological aging in distinct, measurable ways, according to research presented at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2015 Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Using data from the publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus, Robert A. Philibert, MD, PhD and colleagues at the University of Iowa and other institutions analyzed patterns of DNA methylation, a molecular modification to DNA that affects when and how strongly a gene is expressed. Prior research had shown that methylation patterns change in predictable ways as people age, as well as in response to environmental exposures, such as cigarette smoke and alcohol. In these earlier studies, Dr. Philibert's laboratory identified two specific locations in the genome, base pairs cg05575921 on the AHRR gene and cg23193759 on chromosome 10, at which methylation levels were highly associated with smoking and alcohol consumption, respectively. In fact, they showed, DNA methylation levels at these two locations was a better measure of substance use than people's self-reported estimates. Thus, in this follow-up study, Meeshanthini Dogan, MS, and Dr. Philibert used methylation levels as a proxy for tobacco and alcohol consumption. They estimated each person's biological age using a previously validated epigenetic "clock" based on methylation levels at 71 locations in the genome, as measured by the widely used Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. Then, they calculated the difference between biological age and chronological age, and assessed the relationship between tobacco and alcohol use and premature aging. They found that all levels of exposure to smoke were associated with significantly premature aging. Interestingly, moderate alcohol use -- about one to two drinks per day -- was correlated with the healthiest aging, while very low and high consumption were linked to accelerated aging. "These new tools allow us to monitor smoking and alcohol use in an objective way, and to understand their effects quantitatively," Ms. Dogan said. "Furthermore, our methods could be used to analyze any set of 450 BeadChip data, which means that existing data can be used to identify new patterns and that all such results can be easily compared." "Being able to objectively identify future smokers and heavy alcohol users when they are young, before major health issues arise, can help providers and public health practitioners prevent future problems, improve quality of life, and reduce later medical costs," Dr. Philibert added. The researchers' next step is to unravel the details of how methylation patterns change in response to lifestyle changes during the life course, so that their assessments can be more informative. "For example, we want to study how the intensity of current tobacco and alcohol use and cumulative levels of use throughout a lifetime affect methylation, including what happens when a person quits smoking or drinking," Ms. Dogan said. "By clarifying at what point the epigenetic changes become tougher to stop or reverse, we can inform decisions about how best to use the limited public health resources we have." Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by American Society of Human Genetics. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151008173505.htm