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Modeling biofuel fitness for the sea
VLT Takes a Close Look at NGC 6357
Study Improves Understanding of Surface Molecules in Controlling Size of Gold Nanoparticles
Parents say that healthy eating is challenging for youth who play sports
Child Welfare Investigation Predicts Mental Health Problems in Young Children
An iron-aluminium compound could replace a palladium catalyst, reducing the cost of plastic production
Tai Chi Increases Brain Size and Benefits Cognition in Randomized Controlled Trial of Chinese Elderly
Researchers solve historical mystery
Complex networks can be simplified, increasing our understanding of disease propagation and ecosystems
When reputation is at stake, punishment becomes more responsible
Researchers calculate size of particles in Martian clouds of CO2 snow
First Observation of the Hall Effect in a Bose-Einstein Condensate
Infants Can’t Distinguish Between Large and Small Groups, MU Researcher Finds
Biologists take a new approach to deciphering the roles of genes associated with autism
Research Identifies Specific Bacteria Linked to Indoor Water-Damage and Mold
Population displacement during disasters predicted using mobile data

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:58 AM PDT

With the help of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, mechanical engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will develop a tool to characterize the performance of a new class of alternative fuels that could be used in maritime vehicles such as submarines and aircraft carriers.

With fossil fuels a limited resource largely controlled by other nations, the U.S. Navy-the largest user of diesel fuel in the country-understandably is interested in alternative fuels that can be produced in the United States.

VLT Takes a Close Look at NGC 6357

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:09 AM PDT

ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has taken the most detailed image so far of a spectacular part of the stellar nursery called NGC 6357. The view shows many hot young stars, glowing clouds of gas and weird dust formations sculpted by ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds.

Study Improves Understanding of Surface Molecules in Controlling Size of Gold Nanoparticles

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:04 AM PDT

North Carolina State University researchers have shown that the “bulkiness” of molecules commonly used in the creation of gold nanoparticles actually dictates the size of the nanoparticles – with larger so-called ligands resulting in smaller nanoparticles. The research team also found that each type of ligand produces nanoparticles in a particular array of discrete sizes.

Parents say that healthy eating is challenging for youth who play sports

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:47 AM PDT

The food and beverages available to youth when they participate in organized sports can often be unhealthy, according to a new study released in the July/August 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The findings were based on interviews with parents of players participating in youth basketball programs. Common food in youth sport settings were sweets (eg, candy, ice cream, doughnuts), pizza, hot dogs, ''taco-in-a-bag,'' salty snacks (eg, chips, cheese puffs, nachos), as well as soda pop and sports drinks.

Child Welfare Investigation Predicts Mental Health Problems in Young Children

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:41 AM PDT

A study published in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that young children who have been investigated for maltreatment by child welfare agencies have a higher prevalence of mental health problems and that very few receive treatment for those problems.

An iron-aluminium compound could replace a palladium catalyst, reducing the cost of plastic production

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:34 AM PDT

Chemists don't like precious metals – at least not when they need the expensive materials as catalysts to accelerate reactions or guide them in a particular direction. And this is often the case, as in an important step in the production of polyethylene, a substance that makes plastic bags light, flexible and stable.

Tai Chi Increases Brain Size and Benefits Cognition in Randomized Controlled Trial of Chinese Elderly

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:08 AM PDT

Scientists from the University of South Florida and Fudan University in Shanghai found increases in brain volume and improvements on tests of memory and thinking in Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week, reports an article published today in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Researchers solve historical mystery

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:05 AM PDT

In ancient Roman times A.D., Palmyra was the most important point along the trade route linking the east and west, reaching a population of 100 000 inhabitants. But its history has always been shrouded in mystery: What was a city that size doing in the middle of the desert? How could so many people live in such an inhospitable place nearly 2 000 years ago? Where did their food come from? And why would such an important trade route pass directly through the desert?

Complex networks can be simplified, increasing our understanding of disease propagation and ecosystems

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 12:33 PM PDT

Sometimes the distinctive character of a whole resides in just a few of its parts, for example in particular forms and colours of a painting, in the most important ingredients of a dish, or in individual melodies of a symphony. This basic concept is also true of complex networks. Frequently, it takes only a few components to reflect the most important properties of the network. Now, for the first time, an international research team including the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation has developed a reliable method for simplifying complex networks in this way.

When reputation is at stake, punishment becomes more responsible

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 12:24 PM PDT

The evolution of cooperative behaviour in people is often explained by the fact that it provides the opportunity to punish undesirable behaviour. However, such punishment is costly and the benefits for the person being punished therefore unclear. If the costs of the punishment exceed the benefits of the cooperation promoted by it, punishment would, from an evolutionary biological point of view, be pointless. Moreover, several behaviour experiments suggest that sanction opportunities are abused and that even cooperative behaviour is sometimes punished by fellow subjects.

Researchers calculate size of particles in Martian clouds of CO2 snow

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 12:18 PM PDT

In the dead of a Martian winter, clouds of snow blanket the Red Planet’s poles — but unlike our water-based snow, the particles on Mars are frozen crystals of carbon dioxide. Most of the Martian atmosphere is composed of carbon dioxide, and in the winter, the poles get so cold — cold enough to freeze alcohol — that the gas condenses, forming tiny particles of snow.

First Observation of the Hall Effect in a Bose-Einstein Condensate

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:44 AM PDT

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have observed for the first time the Hall effect in a gas of ultracold atoms. The Hall effect is an important interaction of magnetic fields and electric current more commonly associated with metals and semiconductors. Variations on the Hall effect are used throughout engineering and physics with applications ranging from automobile ignition systems to fundamental measures of electricity.

Infants Can’t Distinguish Between Large and Small Groups, MU Researcher Finds

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:31 AM PDT

Human brains process large and small numbers of objects using two different mechanisms, but infants have not yet developed the ability to make those two processes work together, according to new research from the University of Missouri.

Biologists take a new approach to deciphering the roles of genes associated with autism

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:24 AM PDT

Fish cannot display symptoms of autism, schizophrenia or other human brain disorders. However, a team of MIT biologists has shown that zebrafish can be a useful tool for studying the genes that contribute to such disorders.

Research Identifies Specific Bacteria Linked to Indoor Water-Damage and Mold

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:05 AM PDT

Bacterial contamination in water-damaged buildings has been identified as a potential cause of health problems, including infection and respiratory conditions like asthma. Which specific bacteria contribute to these problems, however, has been unknown—making it difficult for public health officials to develop tools to effectively address the underlying source of the problem.

Population displacement during disasters predicted using mobile data

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 05:34 AM PDT

Using data supplied by a mobile operator, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown that population movements after the 2010 Haiti earthquake followed regular patterns. This information can be used to predict beforehand the movements of people after a disaster, and thus improves chances for aid to be delivered to the right places at the right time.