Guest Post – Page 878 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Russian River Water Unexpected Culprit Behind Arctic Freshening

By Guest PostJanuary 6, 2012Environmentarctic oscillation, beaufort gyre, beaufort high, freshwater pathway, frigid freshwater, hcold halocline, russian river water

A hemispherewide phenomenon – and not just regional forces – has caused record-breaking amounts of freshwater to accumulate in the Arctic’s Beaufort Sea. (more…)

MU Researcher’s Photoacoustic Device Finds Cancer Cells Before They Become Tumors

By Guest PostJanuary 6, 2012Healthaggressive cancer, cancer detection, early detection, melanoma, melanoma cancer detection, photoacoustic device, skin cancer

*Commercial production will allow scientists, academia opportunity for use in cancer studies*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Early detection of melanoma, the most aggressive skin cancer, is critical because melanoma will spread rapidly throughout the body. Now, University of Missouri researchers are one step closer to melanoma cancer detection at the cellular level, long before tumors have a chance to form. Commercial production of a device that measures melanoma using photoacoustics, or laser-induced ultrasound, will soon be available to scientists and academia for cancer studies. The commercial device also will be tested in clinical trials to provide the data required to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for early diagnosis of metastatic melanoma and other cancers. (more…)

Depleted Gas Reservoirs Can Double as Geologic Carbon Storage Sites

By Guest PostJanuary 6, 2012Environmentdepleted gas reservoir, geologic carbon sequestration, geologic carbon storage, otway project

Berkeley Lab scientists help verify science behind geologic carbon sequestration

A demonstration project on the southeastern tip of Australia has helped to verify that depleted natural gas reservoirs can be repurposed for geologic carbon sequestration, which is a climate change mitigation strategy that involves pumping CO₂ deep underground for permanent storage. (more…)

To Turn Up The Heat in Chilies, Just Add Water

By Guest PostJanuary 5, 2012Sciencebiologists, Bolivia, carlos manchego, david haak, defense, douglas levey, dry areas, dryer environments, fitness based tradeoff, focal populations, fungus, fusarium fungus, haley morris, heat, hot chilies, joshua tewksbury, leslie mcginnis, non pungent plants, pungency, pungent fruit, range of rainfall, self defense, sigma xi, spicy capsaicin, university of washington, vince stricherz, wetter regions, why some chilies are hot, wild chilies

Biologists have learned in recent years that wild chilies develop their trademark pungency, or heat, as a defense against a fungus that could destroy their seeds. But that doesn’t explain why some chilies are hot and others are not.

New research provides an answer: Hot chilies growing in dry areas need more water to produce as many seeds as non-pungent plants, but the Fusarium fungus is less of a threat in dryer environments so chilies in those areas are less likely to turn up the heat. In wetter regions, where Fusarium thrives, wild chilies build up their reserves of spicy capsaicin in self-defense. (more…)

A Bar, an Idea, and a Garage: The Story of CodeFlow

By Guest PostJanuary 5, 2012Technologygrassroots innovation, microsoft codeflow tool, microsoft developers, microsoft garage project, story of codeflow

Clark Roberts and Mike Cook dreamed up a better way to do code reviews one night in a bar. Today their side project, CodeFlow, is used by every division at Microsoft and will ship in the next version of Microsoft Visual Studio

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 5, 2012 — Two Microsoft developers walk into a bar, order $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys, and talk code. (more…)

Bringing Passito to America

By Guest PostJanuary 5, 2012Sciencedessert wine, ice wine, ice wine grapes, passito, straw wine

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan State University researcher is working with vintners to introduce passito, an age-old Italian wine to the United States. (more…)

Investment Risk Tolerance Affected by Age, Economic Climate, MU Study Shows

By Guest PostJanuary 5, 2012Economyasset preservation, client education, counter productive strategy, economic climate, economic outlook, federal reserve board, financial planners, financial risk, investment goals, investors, market fluctuations, pragmatic relationship, risk tolerance, risks, rui yao, steady source of income, stock market, time period, turbulent economy, u.s economy, united states, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. – As the U.S. economy continues to lag, many investors remain wary about taking risks with the stock market. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have concluded that this attitude toward investment risk-taking is influenced by the age of the investor and the economic climate of the time period. Rui Yao, an assistant professor of personal financial planning in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at MU, found that willingness to take financial risks, or “risk tolerance,” decreases as investors age.

“Age has a pragmatic relationship with financial risk,” Yao said. “Each additional year of life represents a shortened time horizon for recouping market losses. In addition, individuals approaching or in retirement may shift focus from asset accumulation to asset preservation. These individuals may become relatively more concerned about potential loss of money when they are closer to retirement or no longer have a steady source of income.” (more…)

Upper Atmosphere Facilitates Changes That Let Mercury Enter Food Chain

By Guest PostJanuary 5, 2012Environmentaquatic ecosystems, atmosphere, bacteria, bangor, broomfield, chemical reactor, climate conditions, coal burning in asia, daniel jaffe, ecosystem impacts, Europe, food chain, humans, lower stratosphere, maine, mercury, mercury contaminated fish, mercury emissions, metallic element, methyl mercury, North America, oxidation, oxidized mercury, research aircraft, seth lyman, southwest united states, university of washington bothell, upper atmosphere, upper troposphere, vapor

Humans pump thousands of tons of vapor from the metallic element mercury into the atmosphere each year, and it can remain suspended for long periods before being changed into a form that is easily removed from the atmosphere.

New research shows that the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere work to transform elemental mercury into oxidized mercury, which can easily be deposited into aquatic ecosystems and ultimately enter the food chain. (more…)

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