Good Morning! 🌞

I don’t know if any of you all are James Bond fans. But I recently found this video where they blend the main themes of Dr. No and Casino Royale into one song.

I was amazed at how well they go together.

Innovation

Dogs Sniff PTSD in Patients' Breath with 90% Accuracy

Two dogs trained to detect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through breath analysis have achieved a notable 90 percent accuracy rate. This development is expected to enhance the effectiveness of PTSD support dogs.

PTSD, triggered by traumatic events like accidents or attacks, leads to symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. Dogs, known for their acute sense of smell, already excel in detecting medical conditions such as seizures. Researchers now believe they can extend this capability to anticipating PTSD episodes by detecting subtle changes in human breath.

In a pilot study, Golden Retriever Ivy and German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix Callie were successfully trained to identify trauma-related scents on human breath. Among 25 dogs tested, Ivy and Callie were the only ones to demonstrate the requisite skills and motivation for the rigorous training.

Lead author Laura Kiiroja from Dalhousie University explained, "Assistance dogs currently respond to behavioral and physical cues. Our study suggests that some dogs can detect these episodes through breath." By recognizing markers of stress in breath, these dogs could potentially intervene earlier, thereby improving their support for individuals with PTSD.

Each person emits a unique "scent profile" of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) influenced by genetics, age, and activities. While previous studies hinted at dogs detecting stress-related VOCs, this research specifically explored VOCs linked to PTSD symptoms. Collaboration between Dr. Sherry Stewart's clinical psychology lab and Dr. Simon Gadbois' canine olfaction lab facilitated this study.

Participants, including individuals diagnosed with PTSD, provided breath samples during sessions where they recalled traumatic experiences. Dogs were trained to differentiate between calm and trauma-induced breath samples using face masks worn during these sessions. Ivy and Callie initially achieved a high 90 percent accuracy in identifying stress-related VOCs from these samples.

"Both Ivy and Callie found this work inherently motivating," noted Ms. Kiiroja, who is pursuing a PhD in biomedical scent-detection dogs. "Their enthusiasm for treats made training straightforward." She highlighted the dogs' distinct approaches to identifying stress-related VOCs, possibly influenced by different hormonal cues.

Published in Frontiers in Allergy, this study marks a significant step toward validating dogs' ability to detect PTSD symptoms through breath analysis. Future research aims to expand sample sizes and contexts to further verify these findings.

Sports

Mongolia Starts Early

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic games is tomorrow, but I agree with the view that team Mongolia has already scored a point.

Team Mongolia recently unveiled the uniforms that they will use for the opening ceremony. The uniforms stand out in a couple ways. First off, they look quite good. Secondly, they contain a lot of symbolism and meaning in the design and embroidery that is important to their traditions and culture.

Personally, I was somewhat disappoint by the team USA uniforms when I saw them. They don’t really impress or inspire. On the other hand, Mongolia’s uniform seems to work well. It is not fully traditional and it has modern elements. But it is still inspired by culture and beauty and I think that comes through in a good way.

What are your thoughts? (You can see the images better if you go to the Instagram account and view them there)

US News

Massive Helium Reservoir in Minnesota

An American company has uncovered a substantial deposit of subterranean helium gas in Babbit, Minnesota, which promises more than just potential sales to party supply stores.

Despite being the second most abundant gaseous element in the universe, helium is scarce on Earth. The newly identified reservoir in Babbit is being hailed as one of the most lucrative ever found.

Helium serves as an excellent coolant critical for cooling rockets, nuclear reactors, and medical imaging technologies like MRI machines. Outside of occasional underground discoveries, helium production typically requires nuclear fusion or extracting it from decaying radioactive materials like uranium and thorium, as Shiran Genzi explains in Bored Bat.

Pulsar Helium, the exploration company behind the Babbit reservoir, recently conducted a survey revealing larger-than-expected helium concentrations compared to earlier estimates from March.

The survey indicated helium concentrations up to 14.5% across the underground area. For context, concentrations as low as 0.3% can be economically significant,which is why the find was initially described as "mind-boggling."

Moreover, helium gas is naturally venting at a rate of 821,000 cubic feet (23,250 cubic meters) per day, obviating the need for fracking.

With global shortages of helium affecting developed countries, the Babbit reservoir could significantly alleviate supply constraints in the United States and beyond.

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Mind Stretchers

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Yesterday’s Answers to the Mind Stretchers:
What comes out at night without being called, and is lost in the day without being stolen? Stars.

Eugene Hostetler got the correct answer first!

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to[email protected]or reply to email.

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