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Youth bullying because of perceived sexual orientation widespread and damaging

Bullying because of perceived sexual orientation is prevalent among school-aged youths, according to a study led by Donald Patrick, professor of health services at the UW School of Public Health. The study was published online May 16 in the American Journal of Public Health.

The research team analyzed responses collected in a 2010 Washington state survey of more than 24,000 public school students in grades eight through 12. The study found that 14 percent, 11 percent and 9 percent of male students in grades 8, 10, and 12 respectively reported being bullied because of perceived sexual orientation. For female students in those grades, the numbers were 11 percent, 10 percent and 6 percent respectively. (more…)

How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth’s upper atmosphere?

Science

Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts in in the Earth’s upper atmosphere in 1958, space scientists have believed that these belts consisted of two doughnut-shaped rings of highly charged particles — an inner ring of high-energy electrons and energetic positive ions, and an outer ring of high-energy electrons.
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UMass Amherst Survey Shows Widespread Public Opposition to ‘Killer Robots,’ Support for New Ban Campaign

Weapons

Active and former military among those most opposed to autonomous weaponry

AMHERST, Mass. – The results of a new survey by the University of Massachusetts Amherst show that a majority of Americans across the political spectrum oppose the outsourcing of lethal military and defense targeting decisions to machines. The opposition to autonomous weaponry is bipartisan, with the strongest opposition on the far left and far right, and among active and former members of the military.
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A cheaper drive to ‘cool’ fuels

Environment

UD scientists pioneer inexpensive catalyst to drive synthetic fuel production

University of Delaware chemist Joel Rosenthal is driven to succeed in the renewable energy arena. (more…)

“Liebe und Romantik”: So denke ich darüber (‘Love and Romance’, the way I feel it): Johannes (42)

Culture, Interview, Media

(In German and in English)

***Die deutsche Version:

Q. Was ist Liebe? Wie würden Sie es definieren?

Johannes: Seinen Mitmenschen Vertrauen und Freude zu geben und Verständnis zu haben.

Q. Was ist Ihr liebstes Liebes-Zitat? Lesen Sie Liebesgedichte?

Johannes: Als Kind sehr gerne, als ich jung war. Da habe ich viele Liebesgedichte gelesen und wenn man einen Satz über Liebe hört, möchte man diesen im Kopf haben, um der Frau diese Liebe zu zeigen und um dann diese Sätze nutzen zu können. Aber heute nicht mehr. (more…)

Whirlpools on the Nanoscale Could Multiply Magnetic Memory

Science

At the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley Lab scientists join an international team to control spin orientation in magnetic nanodisks

“We spent 15 percent of home energy on gadgets in 2009, and we’re buying more gadgets all the time,” says Peter Fischer of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Fischer lets you know right away that while it’s scientific curiosity that inspires his research at the Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS), he intends it to help solve pressing problems.

“What we’re working on now could make these gadgets perform hundreds of times better and also be a hundred times more energy efficient,” says Fischer, a staff scientist in the Materials Sciences Division. As a principal investigator at the Center for X-Ray Optics, he leads ALS beamline 6.1.2, where he specializes in studies of magnetism. (more…)

Particle Accelerator That Can Fit on a Tabletop Opens New Chapter for Science Research

Science

AUSTIN, Texas — Physicists at The University of Texas at Austin have built a tabletop particle accelerator that can generate energies and speeds previously reached only by major facilities that are hundreds of meters long and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build.

“We have accelerated about half a billion electrons to 2 gigaelectronvolts over a distance of about 1 inch,” said Mike Downer, professor of physics in the College of Natural Sciences. “Until now that degree of energy and focus has required a conventional accelerator that stretches more than the length of two football fields. It’s a downsizing of a factor of approximately 10,000.” (more…)

Understanding the How-To of Effective Communication in Small Groups

Technology

UA researcher Joseph Bonito is investigating the communication habits of decision-making groups, including North American Quitline staff members and youth involved in Lego robotics teams, to advance what is known about small group communication.

It is likely a daily occurrence: People hold well-intentioned meetings that ultimately turn out to be ineffective.

Why? The list of variables can be astonishingly long, said Joseph Bonito, a University of Arizona communication professor who specializes in small group communication. (more…)