Guest Post – Page 787 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Hacking Code of Leaf Vein Architecture Solves Mysteries, Allows Predictions of Past Climate

By Guest PostMay 27, 2012Environment, Natureancient greeks, carbon dioxide, christine scoffoni, climate, conifers, cycads, Environment, ferns, flowering plants, fossil record, global ecology, hacking code, images of leaves, lawren sack, leaf fossils, leaf sizes, leaf vein architecture, leaf vein systems, mathematical equation, mathematical linkages, michael rawls, past climate, photosynthesis, photosynthetic rate, plants, prediction, respiration, scaling patterns, superhighways, theophrastus of lesbos, tropical forest tree, ucla life scientists, vein network, water transport, xylem pipes

UCLA life scientists have discovered new laws that determine the construction of leaf vein systems as leaves grow and evolve. These easy-to-apply mathematical rules can now be used to better predict the climates of the past using the fossil record.

The research, published May 15 in the journal Nature Communications, has a range of fundamental implications for global ecology and allows researchers to estimate original leaf sizes from just a fragment of a leaf. This will improve scientists’ prediction and interpretation of climate in the deep past from leaf fossils.

Leaf veins are of tremendous importance in a plant’s life, providing the nutrients and water that leaves need to conduct photosynthesis and supporting them in capturing sunlight. Leaf size is also of great importance for plants’ adaptation to their environment, with smaller leaves being found in drier, sunnier places. (more…)

Be On the Look Out This Summer: 5 Signs of Child Abuse

By Guest PostMay 26, 2012General, Healthblogger, bloody underwear, bruising, child abuse, common signs, day care centers, daycare workers, depression, extreme hunger, jane smith, marks, red flag, sexual abuse, sexual acts, sexual child abuse, signs, summer camps, symptoms, urinary tract, victim, yeast infection

The summer is here, which means child day care centers and summer camps will soon be flooded with vast amounts of children. While typically people are more concerned with who is handling their child and thus mandate background checks for all employees, sometimes it’s the parents who are at fault and cause harm to their children. That’s why it is so important to remind educators, advisors and camp counselors (who are all too often children themselves—most are college aged) how to closely monitor the signs and detect child abuse and neglect.

While national statistics say child abuse is reported every ten seconds, unfortunately most of those cases are not made by child daycare workers—a place where child interaction occurs the most. In fact, studies show that underreporting is a common thread among child day care centers and summer camps, mostly because employees don’t want to get involved, fear they may be wrong, or don’t know the common signs of child abuse. With that said, if you are suspicious a child in your care may be suffering from child abuse because he or she is experiencing one or all of the symptoms listed below, it’s best to talk with an authoritative figure and report the case. (more…)

Physical Properties Predict Stem Cell Outcome

By Guest PostMay 26, 2012Scienceatomic force microscope, bone, bone tissue, brown university, cartilage, eric darling, mesenchymal stem cells, rafael gonzaelz cruz, stiffness, tissue engineer, vera fonseca, viscosity

Tissue engineers can use mesenchymal stem cells derived from fat to make cartilage, bone, or more fat. The best cells to use are ones that are already likely to become the desired tissue. Brown University researchers have discovered that the mechanical properties of the stem cells can foretell what they will become, leading to a potential method of concentrating them for use in healing.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — To become better healers, tissue engineers need a timely and reliable way to obtain enough raw materials: cells that either already are or can become the tissue they need to build. In a new study, Brown University biomedical engineers show that the stiffness, viscosity, and other mechanical properties of adult stem cells derived from fat, such as liposuction waste, can predict whether they will turn into bone, cartilage, or fat.

That insight could lead to a filter capable of extracting the needed cells from a larger and more diverse tissue sample, said Eric Darling, senior author of the paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Imagine a surgeon using such a filter to first extract fat from a patient with a bone injury and then to inject a high concentration of bone-making stem cells into the wound site during the same operation. (more…)

Cycling May Negatively Affect Male Reproductive Health, UCLA Study Finds

By Guest PostMay 26, 2012Health, Sportscycling, hormonal imbalances, male athletes, male cyclists, reproductive hormones

A study by researchers at the UCLA School of Nursing has found that serious male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that could affect their reproductive health. (more…)

Seagrasses Can Store as Much Carbon as Forests

By Guest PostMay 25, 2012Environmentcarbon stock, climate change, coastal seas, florida coastal everglades, global carbon pool, seagrass beds, seagrass ecosystems, seagrasses

Researchers find that the global carbon pool in seagrass beds is as much as 19.9 billion metric tons

Seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change and, per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world’s temperate and tropical forests. (more…)

Religion is a Potent Force for Cooperation and Conflict, Research Shows

By Guest PostMay 25, 2012Politicsbackfire effect, conflict resolution deals, religious conviction, religious rituals, sacred values

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Across history and cultures, religion increases trust within groups but also may increase conflict with other groups, according to an article in Science. (more…)

Carbon from Martian Meteorites Not Evidence of Life

By Guest PostMay 25, 2012Sciencecarbon on meteorites, evidence of life, future mars missions, life on mars, martian meteorites, modern martian life

The findings provide insight into the chemical processes taking place on Mars and will help aid future quests for evidence of ancient or modern Martian life.

Carbon in some Martian meteorites came from Mars but not from life on Mars, according to new research from an international team that includes a University of Arizona geoscientist. (more…)

Author Archives: Guest Post