The universe may be stuck in place

A new study suggests the universe may be trapped in its own comfort zone—and why that is a good thing.

The new research suggests the universe could be locked into its current state by the same kinds of quantum effects that scientists study when trying to preserve fragile information inside a quantum computer.

The paper appears in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

The research addresses a long-standing worry among physicists: that the universe could be sitting in what is known as a false vacuum, a state that looks stable but is not actually the lowest-energy configuration available to it. Quantum mechanics allows a field to tunnel out of such a state without warning, a shift that could alter the fundamental properties of the cosmos.

That concern is not purely theoretical. Some calculations indicate the Higgs field, which helps give particles like electrons their mass, may itself be resting in a false vacuum rather than in nature’s true lowest-energy state. If it ever tunneled to a deeper state, the properties of particles and forces throughout the universe could change.

The new study finds a mechanism that makes such a transition far less likely. The researchers modeled how a quantum field behaves when it interacts with its surroundings during the rapid expansion of the early universe. They found that those interactions can strongly suppress tunneling, effectively trapping the field in whatever state it has already settled into. The team calls this effect “cosmic lockdown.”

The underlying physics comes from a field called open quantum systems, which studies how quantum systems change when they interact with an environment rather than existing in isolation. The same ideas are central to quantum computing, where even minor outside interference can disrupt a quantum system’s behavior. The researchers combined those techniques with numerical simulations of a quantum field evolving in an expanding universe.

In simple terms, the interactions carry information about the field out into its surroundings. Once that information is effectively lost track of, interference between two possible outcomes fades in a process called decoherence. In the regime the team studied, that loss of interference can also suppress the field’s ability to tunnel at all, a variation of what physicists call the quantum Zeno effect, in which persistent monitoring of a system inhibits its transitions.

The researchers describe two distinct stages in the process. Early on, as the universe expands, a field’s ability to keep pace with that expansion largely determines which of two possible energy states it ends up favoring. Heavier fields tend to settle toward the lowest-energy option, while lighter fields can end up more evenly split between the two. Later, decoherence from the environment helps lock in whichever outcome already occurred.

The authors caution that the result does not prove the universe’s current state will remain stable forever or determine the specific likelihood that the Higgs field will eventually decay. Confirming that would require accounting for additional factors, including a changing cosmic expansion rate and the field’s own influence on gravity.

Still, the team frames the work as a bridge between quantum information science and cosmology, applying tools originally developed for quantum computers to a question about the history and long-term fate of the universe itself.

The study was written by Gregory Kaplanek, a Syracuse University postdoctoral researcher working in the lab of Jason Pollack, an assistant professor in the electrical engineering and computer science department, along with four collaborators: Robson Christie and Jaewoo Joo of the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, Vincent Vennin of the Laboratoire de Physique de l’Ecole Normale Superieure in France, and David Wands, also of Portsmouth. Kaplanek and Pollack are part of Syracuse University’s Institute for Quantum and Information Sciences.

Source: Syracuse University

The post The universe may be stuck in place appeared first on Futurity.

from Futurity https://ift.tt/2jLlBFR

How chronic intestinal inflammation can affect the heart

Chronic intestinal inflammation can affect the heart through changes in gut microbiota and immune cells, a new study finds.

The findings suggests a potential therapeutic target for reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The findings in the journal Circulation Research demonstrated that chronic colitis (inflammation of the colon)-associated gut microbiota dysbiosis (an imbalance in the different microorganisms living together in a microbiome) causally contributes to cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction by driving systemic immune cell metabolic and mitochondrial reprogramming in mice.

Mitochondria are cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. People with IBD, which includes chronic inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract, have an increased risk of cardiovascular complications. IBD is also associated with changes in the gut microbiota, the community of microorganisms that normally lives in the intestine. However, exactly how these changes in the gut contribute to heart problems has remained unclear.

In this study, the researchers used a chronic colitis mouse model to assess gut microbiota dysbiosis, systemic immune cell metabolism and cardiac remodeling. Transferring gut microbiota from mice with colitis to healthy mice was sufficient to alter immune cell metabolism and promote cardiac abnormalities, providing evidence that changes in gut microbes can contribute to the effects of intestinal inflammation on the heart.

Furthermore, the researchers identified a bacterial component called lipopolysaccharide, or LPS, as an important link between the gut and heart. LPS is produced by certain types of gut bacteria and can enter the circulation when the intestinal environment is disrupted. The study found that increased LPS stimulates immune cells to produce a protein called GBP1, leading to changes in these cells that promote their recruitment to the heart.

“Our study provides evidence that chronic intestinal inflammation can affect the heart through changes in the gut microbiota and immune cells,” says Jun Zou, an assistant professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

“We found that bacterial signals from the gut can alter immune cells in ways that promote their movement into the heart, where they can contribute to abnormal heart enlargement and impaired function.”

The study also revealed another way GBP1 may affect the heart. During colitis, GBP1 was increased in exosomes, tiny packages released by cells that circulate in the body and carry biological signals between cells. The researchers found that these GBP1-containing exosomes could be taken up by heart cells and contribute to their enlargement.

“This work may also have broader implications for infection-associated cardiac injury, as many pathogens strongly induce GBP family proteins,” says Ye Ding, co-senior author of the study and a research assistant professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State.

“While GBP1 plays essential antimicrobial roles during infection, excessive or dysregulated GBP1 activation may inadvertently contribute to cardiac dysfunction.”

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Source: Georgia State University

The post How chronic intestinal inflammation can affect the heart appeared first on Futurity.

from Futurity https://ift.tt/VhmEQNW

Why is ADHD having a moment on social media?

October is ADHD Awareness Month, and the disorder has rarely been more visible—or more discussed—online.

Kevin Antshel, professor of psychology at Syracuse University and director of the PhD Program in Clinical Psychology, studies how ADHD is diagnosed, treated, and understood across the lifespan, including how it overlaps with conditions like anxiety, autism, and learning disorders.

Here, Antshel shared his perspective on why ADHD is getting more attention now, what still gets lost in the conversation, and what to know if you or someone you love has been newly diagnosed:

The post Why is ADHD having a moment on social media? appeared first on Futurity.

from Futurity https://ift.tt/kVqca9f

Eggshells help make stronger, lighter metal alloys

Researchers have demonstrated a technique that uses powdered eggshells to produce high-quality magnesium alloys.

These alloys have a wide variety of automotive, aerospace, and biomedical applications.

The eggshells are used as a low-cost, environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional calcium materials, which are manufactured from ore using an energy-intensive process.

Calcium materials, such as calcium carbonate and calcium oxide, are used in a wide variety of applications.

“For example, calcium carbonate and calcium oxide are important materials for manufacturing metal alloys,” says Bharat Gwalani, corresponding author of a paper on the work and an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University.

“But producing those calcium materials relies on a complex process making use of mined materials. We’ve demonstrated a technique that allows us to skip a step. Rather than processing ore to make calcium materials and then using those materials to produce metals or metal alloys, we’ve shown that you can produce a high-quality metal alloy using eggshells.”

Eggshells are 95% calcium carbonate, and the process the researchers use to incorporate the eggshell into alloys converts it into calcium oxide and nascent calcium.

“There are many benefits to this,” Gwalani says. “There are fewer steps. You have a reliable, sustainable supply chain. Eggshells are inexpensive. And you use far less energy, because you do not have to go through the process of creating calcium products from ore.”

For this proof-of-concept work, the researchers used eggshells to produce stronger, harder magnesium alloys, which have a combination of strength and weight that makes them useful for things like electronics and aerospace equipment.

“Calcium is added to magnesium to improve its mechanical properties,” says Gwalani. “We wanted to see if we could use biogenic waste—eggshells—to produce the necessary calcium materials during the manufacturing process.”

For this process, the researchers begin by drilling a series of evenly spaced holes into a cylindrical block of magnesium. Those holes are then filled with finely ground eggshells. This block is then placed into a steel cylinder. A steel mandrel with a hole in the center is then lowered into the cylinder. The mandrel essentially serves as a pestle in a mortar, pressing down on the magnesium block and spinning at 300 rotations per minute.

This process is called friction stir extrusion. As the mandrel presses down and spins, several things happen at about the same time. The eggshell powder is mixed into the surrounding magnesium, creating friction between the particles of eggshell and the metal. This friction converts the calcium carbonate into calcium oxide and calcium—and produces the high-strength alloy Mg2Ca. Lastly, the downward pressure of the mandrel forces the magnesium alloy out through the hole, producing an extruded rod of the finished product.

“This work shows that you can produce high-value, high-quality magnesium alloys using an inexpensive, sustainable, biogenic waste material,” says Gwalani. “This is a scalable, energy-efficient, and environmentally responsible way to produce magnesium-based composites using biogenic waste materials.

“And we’ve already demonstrated that this approach has applications beyond magnesium and eggshells,” Gwalani says. “We demonstrated earlier this year that you can use the same approach—friction stir extrusion—to produce magnetic composites by grinding magnetic samarium-cobalt (SmCo5) powder into scrap aluminum.”

The paper appears in the Journal of Magnesium and Alloys.

Additional coauthors of the paper are from NC State, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the City University of Hong Kong, and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

This work was done with support from the Office of Naval Research Global and from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Source: North Carolina State University

The post Eggshells help make stronger, lighter metal alloys appeared first on Futurity.

from Futurity https://ift.tt/Jtrm8KR

Listen: How nature helps your brain recharge

In a new podcast, an expert digs into how nature helps the brain recharge.

Hala Darwish is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and neurology department at Michigan Medicine and assistant dean for community culture at the School of Nursing. Her research integrates neuroscience, mental health, and nursing, with a particular focus on cognitive and emotional functioning among people living with neurologic and psychiatric conditions.

Darwish’s work explores innovative solutions for cognitive impairment, mood disorders, and health disparities, including the use of nature-based virtual reality to bring the restorative power of the outdoors to people who cannot easily access it.

Below, Darwish joins the Michigan Minds podcast to discuss how our surroundings shape how we feel and how well we think. She explains why everyday green spaces—a garden, a neighborhood park, trees along a street—deserve far more attention and how nature can help the brain recover from the constant demands of modern life:

Read the transcript of this episode.

Source: University of Michigan

The post Listen: How nature helps your brain recharge appeared first on Futurity.

from Futurity https://ift.tt/WS83cGf

OCD brain circuit discovery could pave way for new treatments

New research that identifies a previously unknown brain circuit involved in the obsessive-compulsive disorder process could be a key step to developing treatments that directly target certain brain regions to better control the condition.

Treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental health condition characterized by distressing and uncontrollable thoughts accompanied by repetitive behaviors, has centered on psychotherapy and medicines to curb symptoms.

Published in the journal Neuron and led by Joshua L. Plotkin, associate professor in the neurobiology and behavior department in the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University, the research is based on a mouse model. While the full capacity of a human brain is quite different from that of a mouse, their brains share strikingly similar structures and regional organizational principles.

This work involved using sensory stimuli to cause a mouse to make a behavioral action. During experimentation, Dr. Plotkin and his colleagues focused on two areas of the brain—the amygdala, a brain region that processes emotionally important experiences such as fear and anxiety, and the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), a region important for habitual and automatic behaviors.

The research team discovered that the amygdala directly connects to and influences the DLS, a connection not identified in previous research.

This is because the connection originates from only a small number of amygdala neurons, a scenario easy to overlook.

By using new imaging tools to functionally map brain circuits at the single synapse level, Zachary Hobel, the study’s first author and postdoctoral fellow in the neurobiology and behavior department, found that although it’s small, the amygdala-DLS connection can have an outsized influence over the DLS. Experimental measures and neuronal models confirmed that this connection both amplifies and promotes synaptic plasticity of other inputs to the DLS—inputs that are likely to encode sensory-evoked behaviors.

The team found in this study that repeatedly stimulating inputs from the amygdala to the DLS amplifies sensory-evoked behaviors. And this effect persisted long after the stimulation ended. More specifically, placing a droplet of water on a mouse’s nose prompted the mouse to groom its face. When they stimulated the amygdala-to-DLS circuit while the mouse experienced the water droplet, that same water droplet subsequently caused the mouse to groom for much longer, even after the sensation and brain stimulation had stopped. Remarkably, the mouse continued to respond more strongly to the water, even after the experimental pairing ended.

The researchers further demonstrated that this circuit is stronger, more active, and abnormally regulated in a mouse model of OCD. Therefore, by chronically inhibiting the amygdala in these mice, the researchers prevented OCD-like behavior—a key finding.

“Our study reveals a clear mechanism through which emotionally important experiences may strengthen the connection between sensory cues and actions, and this potentially helps to explain how otherwise normal behaviors can be transformed into compulsive behaviors,” summarizes Plotkin, corresponding author and a researcher affiliated with Stony Brook’s Center for Nervous System Disorders.

Plotkin points out that the mice are a strong model of OCD in that they are responsive to the same common medicines used to treat people with OCD.

He cautions that the exact neuronal connections and dysfunctions being altered and/or corrected with OCD treatments are not fully known, and the specific brain connections and processes underlying OCD are complex. However, the authors conclude that the findings from this study provide important insights into the underpinnings of OCD-like behaviors and identify specific brain circuit dysfunctions—advances that give researchers a new place to look for more precise OCD treatment targets.

Additional collaborators on the research are from RSOM, the National Institutes of Health’s Center on Compulsive Behavior, Laboratory on Neuronal Circuits and Behavior, and National Institute of Mental Health, and the University of Iowa.

The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute of Mental Health provided funding for the research.

Source: Stony Brook University

The post OCD brain circuit discovery could pave way for new treatments appeared first on Futurity.

from Futurity https://ift.tt/3LE5Ynk

Cancer survivors are less likely to be physically active

Adults with a history of cancer are less likely to be physically active than those without a cancer history, finds a new study.

The study in the journal AJPM Focus analyzed data from more than 2 million US adults collected from 2018-2024.

Researchers from the Brown School and Bursky School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis found that physical activity increased among both groups during the study period, but cancer survivors consistently reported lower levels of physical activity.

“Regular physical activity is important to everyone, but even more so for cancer survivors,” says Amy Eyler, a professor at the WashU Brown School and coauthor of the study. “A growing body of evidence suggests that regular physical activity after a cancer diagnosis is associated with many health benefits, including reduction in cancer-related fatigue, overall quality of life, physical fitness and functioning, and improved mental health.”

US guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week for adults. But the researchers emphasize that physical activity recommendations for cancer survivors should be individualized based on their health, abilities and treatment effects.

Kim Johnson, a professor at the Brown School and coauthor of the study, says the goal should be to help survivors find activity they can safely incorporate into their lives.

“The American Cancer Society recommends regular physical activity for cancer survivors, but these recommendations are not a one-size-fits-all and are customized to each person’s health, abilities, treatment effects, symptoms and side effects,” Johnson says. “For some survivors, that may mean training for a 5K, but for others it may mean gentle movement or a short walk.”

The findings point to opportunities for health care providers and caregivers to encourage physical activity among cancer survivors. Eyler says providers should discuss physical activity as part of cancer care and offer consistent, evidence-based guidance.

Caregivers also can provide important encouragement and support, she says.

“We know that social support is an important component of exercise initiation and sustainability, so this aspect should be emphasized for cancer survivors,” Eyler says.

Researchers says promoting physical activity remains an important opportunity to improve health and well-being among cancer survivors.

Source: Washington University in St. Louis

The post Cancer survivors are less likely to be physically active appeared first on Futurity.

from Futurity https://ift.tt/CkHuAf8