Karla Fetrow | Page 30 | World Tech Today

ALMA astronomers discover a dust and gas filled strange ancient galaxy

Mar 3, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

A latest study has quashed the existing belief that the galaxies were sans dust and only filled with gas. A group of astronomers undertook a study that concluded that there was dust in galaxy from the early universe and that only comprised of gases. The discovery points out to the fact that old galaxies were rather full of dust, which also contained elements such as carbon and oxygen that helped into formation of planets.

Dust Exists

The finding came into light when a group of international researchers led by Astrophysicist Darach Watson, from the Niels Bohr Institute at Denmark’s University of Copenhagen, discovered Galaxy A1689-zD1, an ancient galaxy full of dust. Watson said that this is the first time when a galaxy consisting of dust particles is found. He elaborated that the galaxy came into existence just 700 million years after the Big Bang and is modest in size.

Seen Through Powerful Telescope

Watson was surprised by the rate of formation of galactic dust in the galaxy, beginning within just 500 million years of the start formation process. For Watson, this number is extremely short given the cosmological time frame, where most of the stars have billions of years of life. Also, the finding contradicts the existing theories that ruled out the existence of dust particles in galaxies. The presence of dust particles is significant as it supports the formation of both new stars and planets.

A1689-zD1 was detected due to its faint brightness amplified many times higher when seen through ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) telescope in Chile, a powerful radio telescope. Meanwhile, Kirsten Knudsen of Chalmers University of Technology said that ALMA will help astronomers to find more such galaxies and help figure out the reason for the fast growth rate in galaxies. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Nature.

Three to five cups of coffee a day can save you from strokes and heart attacks

Mar 3, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

Three to five cups of coffee is all you need to avoid clogged arteries and shun the risks of heart attacks according to Korean researchers in a recent study. The study was carried out on more than 25,000 male and female employees, who underwent routine health checks at their place of work. The new study only goes to question earlier studies that had indicated a potential increase in heart disease on consumption of coffee.

The study found out that employees who consumed moderate amount of coffee of three to five cups a day were less likely to suffer from heart disease on medical scans. The findings only goes to open a long-running debate on the benefits and disadvantages of consuming coffee. Stimulant Caffeine is found in Coffee among a number of other compounds, but studies have never made it clear on whether they can cause good or harm to the body.

Coffee consumption in a number of studies has been attributed to improved levels of insulin sensitivity and reduced risks of type 2 diabetes. Other studies have questioned its intake especially after being linked to increased cholesterol concentrations, as well as increased blood pressure.

In the latest study, researchers concentrated their attention on studying arteries to look for any diseases on users who took coffee. None of the surveyed 25,000 employees were found to have any outward signs of artery disease on medical scans although ten were found to have small deposits of calcium on their scans. Calcium deposits have been found to cause the hardening and narrowing of the arteries, most of the time leading to a strokes or heart attacks.

People who took few cups of coffee were less likely to have calcium deposits according to the study when compared to people who consumed more cups. The researchers, however, agree that more studies are needed to confirm this theory.

Suge Knight rushed to hospital after complaining loss of vision for the third time

Mar 3, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

Suge Knight appeared at a Los Angeles court yesterday in connection with murder charges, but complained of loss of vision, after which he was taken to hospital for the third time since he was taken into custody. Los Angeles Times newspaper mentioned that Knight told Supreme Court Judge James Brandlin that he is unable to see or comprehend anything.

Knight told the judge that he has serious health ailments and that he has been receiving improper treatment in jail. He claimed that he just had 15% vision left in one eye, while there is a zero visibility in the other one. Also, Knight complained that he lost nearly 30 lbs since January 30, the time when he was taken into custody over murder charges. It is alleged that Knight ran over and killed businessman Terry Carter and also injured filmmaker Cle (Bone) Sloan during a dispute.

Knight could not appear for a second hearing scheduled later in the day on account of illness and was taken to the hospital. The first hearing was cut short after Knight said that he had fired his attorneys. This is Knight’s third trip to the hospital, as he was earlier hospitalized on February 19 following stomach pains. His attorney had then said that Knight is experiencing severe pains due to bleeding in the stomach. The attorney had said that the pain is related to his injury from August, when he was shot six times in a nightclub.

Knight, whose real name is Marion and is a 49-year-old music mogul was taken to the hospital for the second time on February 3, when he was formally charged with murder. Knight complained of chest pains shortly after the hearing. He is a co-founder of Death Row Records. This is not the first time when Knight is facing legal charge as he was earlier jailed in 1996 in connection with violation of a probation order. Also, he served 10 months in jail in 2003 for picking a fight outside a Hollywood nightclub.

Ocean acidification threatens economies of several coastal communities

Mar 1, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

Shellfish producers in the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico are likely to face a threat in the recent future. The oysters industry is threatened by the changing climatic condition of the world. With increased ocean acidification, producers are finding it difficult to harvest shells because the condition does not favor the marine life-forms to build shells. The climatic condition is proving to be a serious menace for the coastal economies.

The Journal Nature Climate Changes has reported that ocean acidification is threatening coastal economies quite harshly. Communities in around 15 states rely on the oyster and clam industry, which is estimated to a $1 billion industry. The reporters are the results of the findings of a study conducted by Julie Ekstrom of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Ekstrom is now associated with the University of California, Davis.

Ekstrom claims, “Ocean acidification has already cost the oyster industry in the Pacific Northwest nearly $110 million and jeopardized about 3,200 jobs.” The study co-author, George Waldbusser, seconded the statement saying, “This clearly illustrates the vulnerability of communities dependent on shellfish to ocean acidification.” Waldbusser carries out research work in OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.

The study has presented several “hot zones” that are most hit by the climate change. These include The Pacific Northwest, New England, Mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. It also claimed that regions such as Louisiana, Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, are the most economically dependent regions. However, these are the areas that are also least prepared to combat the changes. According to the report, these areas are involved in the monitoring and research on ocean acidification the least.

Waldbusser also said that they are striving to discover the adaptive capacity of these ‘hot zones.’ Researchers are working to understand the adaptive responses of various species.

Doctors Turning to Fecal transplants to combat a nasty Stomach Infection

Feb 28, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

Clostridium difficile or C-diff is the nasty bacteria that according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been attributed to a number of infectious disease deaths in the United States. The bacteria sicken nearly twice as many Americans each year, having been linked to 29,000 deaths in 2011 according to a report by the CDC.

The bacteria have been found to produce a toxin that can lead to horrific diarrhea and holes in the large intestines. In worst case scenarios, patients may be required to undergo surgical operations to remove a portion of their colon and forced to use a colostomy bag while their intestines heals.

C-diff remains the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea in the industrialized world, the infections rate having doubled to 8.2 infections per 1,000 admissions in the U.S from 2001 to 2010. A point of concern is that the bacteria thrive in a stream of antibiotics according to Dr. Fernanda Lessa a CDC medical epidemiologist.

The bacteria’s inroads thrive in people who took antibiotics recently or are taking them according to the doctor. Antibiotics have been found to create an ideal environment for C-diff because most of them usually wipe out useful bacteria that can help prevent the disease.

C-diff spores have also been found to survive and thrive in a wash in hand sanitizer gel and can survive for long periods consequently calling for high levels of hygiene in health care workers. Most often, infections reported in 2011 were as a result of a stay or visit to a healthcare facility.

There is currently no vaccine for the bacteria with infections strangely being treated by antibiotics, which experts at CDC continue to raise concerns about. Antibiotics have already been found not to work on everybody after an estimated 83,000 people, or one in every five were found to experience a recurrent of the infection after treatment.

Multiple rounds of antibiotics may be required to suppress the infections and with luck give the body enough time to recover according to Dr. Michael Bell deputy director for Healthcare Quality Promotion at the CDC. The only concern with this mode of treatment is that it only goes to disturb normal bacteria in bowels, so it has been disputed as a perfect solution.

Doctors are slowly turning their attention to fecal transplant as one of the ways of combatting the bacteria. The procedure involves the infusion of healthy feces through enema or colonoscopy. Aggressive consumption of antibiotics only goes to affect useful bacteria something that fecal transplants are countering with the deployment of more good bacteria to defeat the bacteria wreaking havoc.

Will Smith starrer Focus creates cheating a ‘cool’ one

Feb 28, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

These days, moviegoers are well aware of every angle that a Director tries to do. Therefore, it is not an easy job either for the Director or for the lead character to do the job of con men in movies. However, the writer and director of the movie, Focus, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa cooked the character of Will Smith as Nicky Spurgeon very nicely. He is considered as a third-generation con man. He knows every angle, whether it was modern or ancient.

Except the kind of fair-haired, that was blue-eyed angle, which looked like the creature of the God from the marshmallows and diamonds. Nicky was getting to Jess Barrett, played by Margot Robbie of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. As it was progressing, he lost focus during the middle of a con.

Master

Nicky was a master and was using partners to manage several schemes under one umbrella. He was also generating a tidy profit in the process. Jess was trying to drag him as an amateur con enticing him to her room in a hotel and her husband burst in with a gun. However, Nicky easily escaped it.

As Jess was pressurizing him to train her, she turns out to be an expert in pickpocket. In New Orleans, during a weekend, a clean swindling of $1.2 million happens after an intimidating encounter with another gambler, i.e. San Francisco’s own BD Wong. Here, Nicky leaves without telling a word to Jess.

Three years down the line, Nicky is working with a new con, and engaged in an Italian race car champ, Garriga, which was played by Rodrigo Santoro. Nicky was thrown for a loop when he found that Jess was Garriga’s boyfriend.

Regular Romance Stuff

Some parts of Focus comprised of standard movie romance stuff, i.e. chasing or rebuffing or seducing. However, the viewers never knew what was conning and real. Sometimes, the real looks like real though it might have been cons. The same thing happens when it was reverse.

It was the work of Joh Requa and Glenn Ficarra, who were the original screenplay writer for Bad Santa of Terry Zwigoff.

While their earlier films were comedies, ‘Focus’ cannot be exactly called as funny. However, it is a light-hearted one with fleet-footed. Sometimes, dialogue is subtle. The team of Robbie and Smith make it pretty, testing and teasing each other continuously. They have always impressed with each other’s actions.

Mayor of Washington and Congressional Republicans fight over legalization of Marijuana

Feb 27, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

Washington – On the one hand, there is the government that has legalized marijuana in Washington, and, on the other hand, Republicans are stepping up to prevent people from possessing small amounts if it. Republicans are increasing their efforts to check people from possessing small amounts of marijuana that has now been legalized in Washington. They have also warned of upcoming probes and hearings concerning the matter. The issue has raised serious disagreement among the city’s new mayor and the congressional members. The results of the conflict could be detrimental to the citizens.

Democratic Mayor, Muriel Bowser, went ahead to implement the next supportive step in favor of the legalization of marijuana on Thursday. The decision was in accordance with a majority vote initiative, termed Initiative 71. Now, the city is the first in the eastern Mississippi region to allow its citizens to legally grow marijuana at homes. Last year, the government had taken the first step in this regards by decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. This year, people have been permitted to grow six plants (three mature) at homes privately.

Nevertheless, the decision has not been accepted by the Republican members of the Congress. They have threatened the mayor of investigations on any legal employees who have supported the initiative. The House Oversight Committee’s chairman, Jason Chafftez, together with the Representative of the Republican of North Carolina, Mark Meadows have also issued a written warning. The letter warns the opposition group of moving towards their “own peril.”

Some Republican members said that they are planning to approach the Justice Department to prevent the legalization. They also believe that they have deterred the voter initiative with the help of a last-minute provision in a huge federal spending bill. However, the mayor is determined to move ahead with the implementation of the law, as it was favored by 7 out of the ten voters.

Study shows how Sahara Desert dust shifts to fertilize the Amazon rainforest

Feb 26, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

The Amazon rainforest receives its fertile phosphorous content from the sands of the Sahara desert. The Geophysical Letters published an article illustrating how different regions of the Earth are connected in unprecedented ways. The findings result from the data collected by NASA’s Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation satellite, called CALIPSO. The space agency had launched the satellite in 2006 to monitor the vertical cloud-like structures and airborne particles that surround the planet.

For decades, scientists have marveled over natural processes that allow great plumes of sand dust to be carried from the Sahara Desert to rest in the Amazon Basin. The sand particles are carried by the wind from the world’s largest desert to travel thousands of miles over the Atlantic Ocean and eventually be deposited in the Amazon Basin. To monitor the phenomenon, NASA had launched the satellite CALIPSO in 2006. Data collected from the CALIPSO has now helped scientists to estimate the amount of sand transported across the Atlantic.

Remote Sensing of the Environment, a journal, published an article recently that illustrated the University of Maryland’s scientist Hongbin Yu’s estimates. Yu’s analysis suggests that an average of 182 million tons of dust is lifted from the western edge of the desert while 28.8 million tons of it is deposited in the Amazon basin. In another yet more recent article published in the Geophysical Letters, Yu has provided satellite-based figures depicting the phosphorous present in the dust.

Phosphorous promotes plant growth and is a key nutrient for plant growth. Previous research has shown that as much as 90% of the Amazon soil is deprived of the nutrient. The Saharan sand, however, is rich in phosphorous. According to calculations, scientists expect that the Amazon basin gets almost 22,000 tons of phosphorous from the Sahara desert every year, approximately the same amount that gets washed out per year.

Lady Gaga to make recurring roles on ‘American Horror Story’ season five

Feb 26, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

After blowing fans away with powerful performances on the music stage, Lady Gaga has gone to Twitter to let her millions of fans know that she is to return to the small screen in a terrifying role. The singer is to appear in the fifth season of FX’s American Horror Story. Having impressed the crowd at the Oscars, the pop icon is now on a quest to win even more fans on her acting career with the horror series.

‘Make your reservation now #GAGAAHSHotel’ the queen of pop tweeted alongside a 22 second clip on her Twitter page.

Gaga is the only confirmed casting of the upcoming season of the horror series directed by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchik. It will be the first recurring role for the Grammy award winning icon after previous cameos on Machete Kills and Muppets most wanted. Nothing much has been revealed on the plotline of the fifth season but fans can expect to be given a subtitle during the PaleyFest in March.

AHS vets Sarah Paulson, Emma Roberts and Jessica Lange are unlikely to make a return to the franchise as they are believed to have other commitments. However, Roberts and Paulson could still be brought into the fold as they have already stared in Murphy led projects of Scream Queens and American Crime Story.

The only expected omission in the fifth season will be the appearance of Ben Woolf who died after incurring serious head injuries sustained in a road accident having made appearance in Infantana and Meep. Gaga seems to have moved from the disappointments of ‘Artpop’ which reportedly moved a mere 258,000 copies in the fits week rejuvenating herself with ‘Born This Way’ which sold over a million in its debut.

Gaga has already paid tribute to the film ‘The Sound of Music’ where producers said she worked on her vocals for six months in time for her appearance.

Parks and Recreation ends seven seasons of drama with real group hug

Feb 25, 2015 by Karla Fetrow Leave a Comment

Parks and Recreation closed its curtains after seven seasons of epic drama in the wacky Indiana town. Although it was overshadowed by time, the NBC series evolved with time into a modern classic series with the employing of comedy improvisers both for big and small parts.

There is no doubt that Parks and Recreation was not a giant killer on ratings like other comedy acts, but it enjoyed a well-deserved following over its six years of airing. The series remained funny and sweet all the way to its final episode. The final episode kept flashing forward tying up all the loose ends without ever undoing the bond among the core characters.

In flashes of its aftermath, viewers came to learn of April and Andy’s kids, as well as Garry’s future as a beloved mayor with an ageless wife. Viewers also got a preview of Tom’s future hustles, Donna’s educational foundation as well as Leslie’s brilliant career. Parks and Recreation never started as a show for romance but rather a show about the intricacies of a public servant without ever shunning the perception that the service of a public servant will always go un-thanked and unappreciated.

In its finale, Parks Department crew rallied even though they no longer worked together to fix a swing in the park only to find a man who thinks they carried out the task as their responsibility to him as a citizen. Nobody died in the final episode, except Garry, a bumbling bureaucrat who in a flash to the year 2048 dies celebrating his 100^th, birthday after many years as the mayor of Pawnee town.

Unlike other season finale’s Parks and Recreation distinguished the brand of happiness that was true to each character and true to who they were. The show ended with a real and warm group hug just like the finale of ‘the Mary Tyler Moore Show.’