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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:04:54 GMT -5
A closer look at flawed studies behind policies used to promote "low-carbon" biofuels Featured Story Nearly all studies used to promote biofuels as climate-friendly alternatives to petroleum fuels are flawed and need to be redone, according to a Univ. of Michigan researcher. Once the erroneous methodology is corrected, the results will likely show that policies used to promote biofuels actually make matters worse when it comes to limiting net emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide gas. ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22668-a-closer-look-at-the-flawed-studies-behind-policies-used-to-promote-low-carbon-biofuels |
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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:08:51 GMT -5
Shining a gentle light on photosynthesisNon-damaging x-ray technique unveils protein complex that uses sunlight to split water A more accurate view of the structure of the oxygen-evolving complex that splits water during photosynthesis is now in hand thanks to a study involving researchers from the RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Okayama Univ. and the Japan Science and Technology Agency. The new model of natural photosynthesis provides a blueprint for synthesizing water-splitting catalysts that mimic this natural process. Natural photosynthesis starts in an elaborate pigment–protein complex known as photosystem II, which is found in cellular membranes of higher plants, algae and cyanobacteria. This complex catalyzes the splitting of water into oxygen, hydrogen ions and electrons. In principle, this reaction is a solar-powered fuel cycle, with the only end product being the water formed when the hydrogen and oxygen are recombined to release energy. www.riken.jp/en/research/rikenresearch/highlights/7950/
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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:16:45 GMT -5
Bioengineered miniature structures could prevent heart failure The delivery of tiny biodegradable microstructures to heart tissue damaged by heart attack may help repair the tissue and prevent future heart failure. A team led by cardiovascular researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) bioengineered the microstructures to be the same size, shape and stiffness as adult heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, with the goal of releasing biologically active peptides that act as cardioprotective agents. The findings are published in Biomaterials. Paul Goldspink, PhD, associate professor of physiology at MCW, led the study. www1.mcw.edu/MCW-News-Center/News-Releases/Bioengineered-miniature-structures-could-prevent-heart-failure.htm#.VNbU9i5lSDq |
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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:19:33 GMT -5
Chances of saving with solar energy greater for Indiana farms than homes WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The probability of saving money by using solar energy rather than standard grid electricity is 92 percent for Indiana farm businesses and about 50 percent for homes, Purdue University energy economists find. While current energy policies play key roles in providing incentives for the use of solar energy in Indiana, businesses have an additional cost-saving option not available to residences: Businesses can deduct their investment in solar from their revenues - a tax policy known as depreciation. A benefit cost analysis conducted by Wally Tyner, the James and Lois Ackerman Professor of Agricultural Economics, and graduate student Jinho Jung showed that if homeowners could also depreciate the cost of installing solar energy systems, their chances of saving with solar would rise to about 90 percent. "Under current law and policy, whether you lose or make money with solar as an Indiana homeowner is like throwing the dice - you don't know," Tyner said. "But solar is a clear economical choice for farm businesses. The tax advantage from depreciation makes a huge difference in the overall economics." The use of solar energy, an emissions-free and inexhaustible resource, is expanding as new policies encourage the adoption of renewable energy sources. But many consumers are uncertain whether it is cheaper to operate and maintain solar energy systems than to buy standard grid electricity, particularly in Indiana where electricity prices are low compared with many other states. About 95 percent of Indiana's electricity comes from coal power, the cheapest energy source. Tyner said the switch to solar power is hindered by policies that do not put solar on what he and Jung called a "level playing field" with coal power. In Indiana, three policies provide tax-paying homeowners with incentives for using solar energy: net metering, which allows consumers to sell excess solar electricity back to the grid; financing through a home equity loan with tax deductible interest; and a federal tax credit for 30 percent of the installation costs of solar energy systems. Farm businesses can depreciate their investment in solar in addition to these three policies. Tyner and Jung evaluated how the economics of using solar energy in homes and businesses would change in a scenario in which policies gave solar and coal power the same treatment. They removed the federal tax credit from solar energy since the credit is not available to coal power companies. They added depreciation to home solar energy systems since coal power companies can depreciate their building costs and applied a carbon tax to reflect the fact that solar energy does not emit carbon, unlike coal power. www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2015/Q1/chances-of-saving-with-solar-energy-greater-for-indiana-farms-than-homes.html |
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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:22:01 GMT -5
Penta-graphene, a new structural variant of carbon, discovered The unique structure of the thin sheet of pure carbon was inspired by pentagonal tile pattern found in the streets of Cairo. By Brian McNeill University Public Affairs 804-827-0889 bwmcneill@vcu.edu Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015 Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and universities in China and Japan have discovered a new structural variant of carbon called "penta-graphene" – a very thin sheet of pure carbon that has a unique structure inspired by a pentagonal pattern of tiles found paving the streets of Cairo. The newly discovered material, called penta-graphene, is a single layer of carbon pentagons that resembles the Cairo tiling, and that appears to be dynamically, thermally and mechanically stable. "The three last important forms of carbon that have been discovered were fullerene, the nanotube and graphene. Each one of them has unique structure. Penta-graphene will belong in that category," said the paper's senior author, Puru Jena, Ph.D., distinguished professor in the Department of Physics in VCU's College of Humanities and Sciences. The researchers' paper, "Penta-Graphene: A New Carbon Allotrope," will appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and is based on research that was launched at Peking University and VCU. Qian Wang, Ph.D., a professor at Peking University and an adjunct professor at VCU, was dining in a restaurant in Beijing with her husband when she noticed artwork on the wall depicting pentagon tiles from the streets of Cairo. "I told my husband, "Come, see! This is a pattern composed only of pentagons,'" she said. "I took a picture and sent it to one of my students, and said, 'I think we can make this. It might be stable. But you must check it carefully.' He did, and it turned out that this structure is so beautiful yet also very simple." news.vcu.edu/article/Pentagraphene_a_new_structural_variant_of_carbon_discovered |
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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:25:35 GMT -5
Not Candy Crush Scientists Identify Nature of Candy Sculpture A team of scientists has identified the complex process by which materials are shaped and ultimately dissolved by surrounding water currents. The study, conducted by researchers at NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Florida State University, appears in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics. “How flowing fluids generate unique shapes through erosion or dissolution is complex and fascinating,” says Leif Ristroph, an assistant professor at NYU’s Courant Institute and the paper’s senior author. The researchers studied this effect by immersing hard candy in a water current. They found that a peculiar but consistent shape emerges and then persists before eventually vanishing. This same ‘sculpture’ results regardless of the candy’s initial form and the speed of the water flow. The authors were also surprised to find that their work offers a long-sought answer to a question from childhood: How many licks does it take to reach the center of a lollipop? By formulating a theory for how flows cause dissolving and shrinking, the researchers calculated an estimate of about 1,000 licks. But the work addresses some serious science, too. Understanding how materials dissolve is at the heart of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries—their products rely on the incorporation of solid compounds into solutions within reactors and within the human body. The work also has relevance in geology—the research links the morphology of eroding and dissolving surfaces to the flows present, which could offer a way to explain the unusual but consistent shapes of landscapes and landforms. www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2015/02/05/not-candy-crushscientists-identify-nature-of-candy-sculpture.html |
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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:27:37 GMT -5
Precision Growth of Light-emitting Nanowires Berkeley Lab team shows metal-alloy catalysts give more control in nanowire fabrication. A novel approach to growing nanowires promises a new means of control over their light-emitting and electronic properties. In a recent issue of Nano Letters, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) demonstrated a new growth technique that uses specially engineered catalysts. These catalysts, which are precursors to growing the nanowires, have given scientists more options than ever in turning the color of light-emitting nanowires. The new approach could potentially be applied to a variety of materials and be used for making next-generation devices such as solar cells, light emitting diodes, high power electronics and more, says Shaul Aloni, staff scientist at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, a DOE user facility, and lead author on the study. newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/02/05/precision-growth-light-emitting-nanowires/ |
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Post by monami on Feb 7, 2015 22:34:20 GMT -5
Vaccine skeptics find unexpected allies in conservative GOP By NICHOLAS RICCARDI | Associated Press DENVER — As vaccine skeptics fight laws that would force more parents to inoculate their kids, they are finding unexpected allies in conservative Republicans. Though the stereotype of a vaccine skeptic is a coastal, back-to-the-land type, it's generally been Democratic-controlled states that have tightened vaccination laws. This week, Democrats in two of those states — California, where a measles outbreak was traced to Disneyland, and Washington state — proposed eliminating laws that allow parents to opt out of vaccination for personal reasons. Meanwhile, in Maine, Republicans are objecting to a similar effort. In Minnesota, only Democrats have signed onto sponsor a bill to make it harder to avoid vaccinating children. And last year in Colorado, it was largely Republicans who squashed an effort to force parents to get a physician's approval if they chose not to inoculate their kids. "This boils down to, does the government force everyone to conform or do we empower everyone to make decisions on their own?" said Colorado state Sen. Kevin Lundberg, a Republican who did not fully vaccinate his children and led the fight against last year's bill. This year, Colorado Republicans introduced a bill stating that parents have the right to make all medical decisions for their children, legislation that was cheered by vaccination opponents Thursday at a hearing. American skepticism toward vaccinations dates back at least to the Revolutionary War, when George Washington was initially reluctant to inoculate his troops against smallpox. "There is a long history to the fight against vaccination, and it does seem to break down along liberal versus conservative lines," said Kent Schwirian, a sociology professor at Ohio State University. He surveyed people during a 2009 swine flu scare, asking whether they would get vaccinated, and found that conservatives who distrusted government were less likely to support inoculation. Modern-day vaccine skeptics are hard to pigeonhole politically. savannahnow.com/latest-news/2015-02-06/vaccine-skeptics-find-unexpected-allies-conservative-gop |
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Post by dove on Feb 8, 2015 1:37:39 GMT -5
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Post by monami on Feb 8, 2015 1:57:23 GMT -5
That was a fun read, the comments too  |
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Post by dove on Feb 8, 2015 2:24:55 GMT -5
Yeah, well I'm just trying to make sure I keep my head up when on the computer.  I even bought a stand to elevate it so it's more at eye level. Of course, I had to get a cordless keyboard because of that, but it's worth it. I'm just glad I don't have any of those other gadgets that would make me look down all the time. |
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Post by monami on Feb 8, 2015 2:50:53 GMT -5
Yeah, well I'm just trying to make sure I keep my head up when on the computer. I even bought a stand to elevate it so it's more at eye level. Of course, I had to get a cordless keyboard because of that, but it's worth it. I'm just glad I don't have any of those other gadgets that would make me look down all the time. I have a smartphone, but do not use it like most who seem buried in it. I doubt the wrinkles are caused by a smartphone. They are dangerous enough with potentially causing cancer, we do not need to add wrinkles to the mix. |
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Post by dove on Feb 8, 2015 3:35:30 GMT -5
No kidding. I'm sure I'll get plenty of wrinkles on my own without any help from technology.  |
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Post by monami on Feb 9, 2015 16:46:30 GMT -5
Controlling Genes with Light February 9, 2015 Light-activated genes might be precisely controlled and targeted By Ken Kingery Duke University researchers have devised a method to activate genes in any specific location or pattern in a lab dish with the flip of a light switch by crossing a bacterium’s viral defense system with a flower’s response to sunlight. With the ability to use light to activate genes in specific locations, researchers can better study genes’ functions, create complex systems for growing tissue, and perhaps eventually realize science-fiction-like healing technologies. The study was led by Charles Gersbach, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University, and published on February 9 in Nature Chemical Biology. “This technology should allow a scientist to pick any gene on any chromosome and turn it on or off with light, which has the potential to transform what can be done with genetic engineering” said Lauren Polstein, a Duke PhD student and lead author on the work. “The advantage of doing this with light is we can quickly and easily control when the gene gets turned on or off and the level to which it is activated by varying the light’s intensity. We can also target where the gene gets turned on by shining the light in specific patterns, for example by passing the light through a stencil.” www.pratt.duke.edu/news/controlling-genes-light |
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Post by monami on Feb 9, 2015 16:48:31 GMT -5
Electricity from biomass with carbon capture could make western U.S. carbon-negative By Robert Sanders, Media Relations | February 9, 2015 BERKELEY — Generating electricity from biomass, such as urban waste and sustainably-sourced forest and crop residues, is one strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, because it is carbon-neutral: it produces as much carbon as the plants suck out of the atmosphere. A new UC Berkeley study shows that if biomass electricity production is combined with carbon capture and sequestration in the western United States, power generators could actually store more carbon than they emit and make a critical contribution to an overall zero-carbon future by the second half of the 21st century. By capturing carbon from burning biomass – termed bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) – power generators could become carbon-negative even while retaining gas- or coal-burning plants with carbon capture technology. The carbon reduction might even offset the emissions from fossil fuel used in transportation, said study leader Daniel Sanchez, a graduate student in UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group. “There are a lot of commercial uncertainties about carbon capture and sequestration technologies,” Sanchez admitted. “Nevertheless, we’re taking this technology and showing that in the Western United States 35 years from now, BECCS doesn’t merely let you reduce emissions by 80 percent – the current 2050 goal in California – but gets the power system to negative carbon emissions: you store more carbon than you create.” newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/02/09/electricity-from-biomass-with-carbon-capture-could-make-western-u-s-carbon-negative/ |
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I even bought a stand to elevate it so it's more at eye level. Of course, I had to get a cordless keyboard because of that, but it's worth it. I'm just glad I don't have any of those other gadgets that would make me look down all the time.