Guest Post – Page 804 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Handful of Heavyweight Trees Per Acre Are Forest Champs

By Guest PostMay 5, 2012Natureandrew larson, biomass, carbon dioxide, dynamic process, fir, incense cedars, james freund, james lutz, little ice age, mark swanson, photosynthesis, plant tissue, sandra hines, sugar, temperate forest, trees, trunk, university of montana, university of washington, washington state university, yosemite national park

Big trees three or more feet in diameter accounted for nearly half the biomass measured at a Yosemite National Park site, yet represented only 1 percent of the trees growing there.

This means just a few towering white fir, sugar pine and incense cedars per acre at the Yosemite site are disproportionately responsible for photosynthesis, converting carbon dioxide into plant tissue and sequestering that carbon in the forest, sometimes for centuries, according to James Lutz, a University of Washington research scientist in environmental and forest sciences. He’s lead author of a paper on the largest quantitative study yet of the importance of big trees in temperate forests being published online May 2 on PLoS ONE. (more…)

Science Fair Winner Publishes New Study on Butterfly Foraging Behavior

By Guest PostMay 4, 2012Natureadrian duehl, agricultural fields, alexandra, alexandra sourakov, andrei sourakov, blue morpho, blue morpho butterfly, butterflies, butterfly, butterfly rainforest, clipper butterfly, ecology, electroantennography, evolutionary biology, fermented bananas, foraging behavior, gas chromatography, honey, insects, labial palpi, lepidopterist, mango, mass spectrometry, moths, pollinators, teenage daughter, university of florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida lepidopterist Andrei Sourakov has spent his life’s work studying moths and butterflies. But it was his teenage daughter, Alexandra, who led research on how color impacts butterflies’ feeding patterns.

The research shows different species exhibit unique foraging behaviors, and the study may be used to build more effective, species-specific synthetic lures for understanding pollinators, insects on which humans depend for sustaining many crops.

In a study appearing online in April in the journal Psyche, researchers used multi-colored landing pads and baits in the Florida Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity on the UF campus to determine that some butterflies use both sight and smell to locate food, while others rely primarily on smell. (more…)

Acid Rain

By Guest PostMay 4, 2012Environmentacid rain, acidity of rain, delaware rain, rainwater

UD’s long-term monitoring shows 60 percent reduction in acidity of Delaware rain

Several decades ago, precipitation in Delaware was among the most acidic in the country. Pollutants in the air reacted with rainwater to sprinkle sulfuric, nitric and carbonic acids onto the ground below, affecting crops and ecosystems statewide. (more…)

Researchers Show Prebiotic Can Reduce Severity of Colitis

By Guest PostMay 4, 2012Healthbacterial infection, cells, colitis, colon cancer, elizabeth gardner, fiber supplements, galacto oligosaccharide, good bacteria, gos, gut, inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal ailments, jenifer fenton, michigan state university, natural killer, prebiotic, probiotics, synthetic compound

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers at Michigan State University have shown a prebiotic may help the body’s own natural killer cells fight bacterial infection and reduce inflammation, greatly decreasing the risk of colon cancer.

Prebiotics are fiber supplements that serve as food for the trillions of tiny bacteria living in the gut. When taken, they can stimulate the growth of the “good” bacteria. The evolution of prebiotic supplements (as well as probiotics, which are actual bacteria ingested into the system) provide new therapeutic targets for researchers and physicians. (more…)

Smart Gas Sensors for Better Chemical Detection

By Guest PostMay 4, 2012Science, Weaponsairborne chemicals, chemical weapon vapors, micro gas chromatography, portable gas sensor, search for explosives, smart gas sensors

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Portable gas sensors can allow you to search for explosives, diagnose medical conditions through a patient’s breath, and decide whether it’s safe to stay in a mine. (more…)

Researchers Determine Vitamin D Blood Level for Reducing Major Medical Risks in Older Adults

By Guest PostMay 4, 2012Healthblood samples, caucasian adults, food sources, hip fracture, sun exposure, vitamin D

In testing older patients’ blood vitamin D levels, there’s uncertainty about where the dividing line falls between enough and not enough. The threshold amount has become controversial as several scientific societies set different targets. (more…)

Microsoft Research Opens a Lab in New York City

By Guest PostMay 3, 2012Technologybing, christian borgs, cornell technion campus, cryptography, dan goldstein, david pennock, david rothschild, duncan watts, eric horvitz, jake hofman, jennifer chayes, john langford, manhattan, mayor, michael bloomberg, Microsoft, microsoft partner, new england, new york city, research lab, rick rashid, sharad goel, siddharth suri, sociology, tech hub, vowpal wabbit, xbox

New research lab will focus on computational and experimental social science, algorithmic economics, and machine learning, along with information retrieval.

NEW YORK CITY – In the two decades since the formation of Microsoft Research, the organization has grown from its beginnings on Microsoft’s corporate headquarters in Redmond, Wash., into a global research force with 12 labs across four continents — all devoted to advancing the state of the art in computing research and contributing cutting-edge advancements to Microsoft products.

Beginning May 3, that lab count increases to 13 with the creation of Microsoft Research New York City. (more…)

IBM Study Reveals Critical Shift in the Role of Chief Information Security Executives Globally

By Guest PostMay 3, 2012Technologyasia-pacific, ceos, chief attribute, cisos, david jarvis, Europe, evolution, ibm study, influencer, information security organization, it security, marc van zadelhoff, Technology

Analysis of 130+ interviews presents a new class of security chiefs; CISO role follows the evolution of CIO and CFO with more strategic organizational responsibilities

ARMONK, N.Y. – 03 May 2012: A new IBM study reveals a clear evolution in information security organizations and their leaders with 25 percent of security chiefs surveyed shifting from a technology focus to strategic business leadership role. (more…)

Author Archives: Guest Post