May 29, 2012

UNSTOPPABLE RISE OF AMERICAN ENGLISH




UNSTOPPABLE RISE OF AMERICAN ENGLISH

Study shows young Britons copying US writing style

The future of written English will owe more to Hollywood films than Dickens or Shakespeare, if the findings of a study into children’s writing are anything to go by.
The analysis of 74,000 short stories found that their written work was littered with Americanisms, exclamation marks and references to celebrities.
Researchers who looked at the entries to a national competition found they were increasingly using American words such as garbage, trash can, sidewalk, candy, sneakers, soda, cranky and flashlight.

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May 28, 2012

A SIGNIFICIANT STEP TOWARD GRAPHENE-BASED ELECTRONICS




Research team's work may lead to breakthrough in microchip technology

(May 28, 2012)  Graphene is the wonder material that could solve the problem of making ever faster computers and smaller mobile devices when current silicon microchip technology hits an inevitable wall. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms in a tight hexagonal arrangement, has been highly researched because of its incredible electronic properties, with theoretical speeds 100 times greater than silicon. But putting the material into a microchip that could outperform current silicon technology has proven difficult.

The answer may lie in new nanoscale systems based on ultrathin layers of materials with exotic properties. Called two-dimensional layered materials, these systems could be important for microelectronics, various types of hypersensitive sensors, catalysis, tissue engineering and energy storage. Researchers at Penn State have applied one such 2D layered material, a combination of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, to produce improved transistor performance at an industrially relevant scale.


KODUMANAL EXCAVATION YIELDS A BONANZA AGAIN




KODUMANAL EXCAVATION YIELDS A BONANZA AGAIN

The artefacts unearthed reveal an industrial complex that existed around fourth century BCE

Kodumanal in Erode district never stops yielding.

Renewed archaeological excavation in the village in April and May this year by the Department of History, Pondicherry University, has yielded a bonanza again. The artefacts unearthed from four trenches in the habitational mound have revealed an industrial complex that existed around fourth century BCE. The industries in the complex made iron and steel, textiles, bangles out of conch-shells and thousands of exquisite beads from semi-precious stones such as sapphire, beryl, quartz, lapis-lazuli, agate, onyx, carnelian and black-cat eye, and ivory.

Terracotta spindle whorls for spinning cotton and a thin gold wire were found in the complex, which has also thrown up 130 potsherds with Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions, including 30 with Tamil-Brahmi words.

All of them are personal names. They include ‘Saba Magadhai Bammadhan,' ‘Saathan,' ‘Visaki,' ‘Siligan,' ‘Uranan' and ‘Tissan.' A prized artefact is a big pot with a superbly etched Tamil-Brahmi script in big letters reading, ‘Samban Sumanan.'

Industrial site

K. Rajan, Professor of History, Pondicherry University, who was director of excavation at Kodumanal, said: “Nowhere else do we come across such an industrial complex.

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AROUND THE WORLD IN A SOLAR CAR



Around the world in a solar car

Australia, US, Europe - they've already traveled a long way. A team of students is currently touring the world in a solar-powered car. It's an adventure, though the car could be more comfortable.

The sun might be burning in the sky, but the promised test run in the solar-powered car will have to wait. The batteries are empty, explains Matthias Drossel, student of electro-technology at Bochum University of Applied Sciences in western Germany. The weather just wasn't quite good enough in the past few days, he says, especially on the journey through Belgium.

Now Drossel and the rest of the ten-strong team have to use the sunny day to recharge. They have unscrewed the solar panels from the car and set them up facing the sun at the optimal angle to soak up as much energy as possible. It will take four hours for the batteries to fully recharge, says Drossel after a glance at his laptop. So instead of a test drive, we'll have to make do with a test sit in the SolarWorld GT.

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A RARE CHINESE CARVED ‘LANDSCAPE’ BAMBOO BITONG



A RARE CHINESE CARVED ‘LANDSCAPE’ BAMBOO BITONG

Thanks my old China: Charity shop given cracked and damaged pot celebrates  £360,000 windfall at auction after discovering it was made by famous artist

A small damaged pot donated to a charity shop has stunned the art world after it sold for an astonishing £360,000.

The Chinese bamboo brush pot was taken to the store in a carrier bag along with some other junk, but keen-eyed staff spotted that it might be old.

It turned out to have been made between 1662 and 1722 by one of the most famous artists of the day, Gu Jue.

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NEW SMARTPHONE APP WILL TELL YOU HOW HEALTHY YOU ARE



New smartphone app will tell you how healthy you are just by taking a picture of your TONGUE

Taking a snap of your tongue with a mobile phone could soon instantly tell you how healthy you are.
Researchers believe the images could reveal important information about a patient’s health - and even give them early warning of serious illness.
A team at the University of Missouri is developing a system that can analyse pictures using a 5,000-year-old Chinese principle.

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May 26, 2012

SOLAR IMPULSE PLANE




Solar Impulse lands safely in Madrid

After a flight lasting approximately 17 hours, the HB-SIA prototype has finally landed in Madrid-Barajas airport at 01:28:50AM. The pilot, André Borschberg, made his way out of the cockpit, smiley yet exhausted and certainly happy to stretch his legs.

“The flight went very well and thanks to the team of meteorologists, everything went according to the plan: it was extraordinary” Said André Borschberg “It was incredible to fly alongside the barrier of clouds during most of the flight and not need to hesitate to fly above them. This confirms our confidence in the capacity of solar energy even further.”

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http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/

FREDERICO URIBE





Frederico Uribe's Amazing 'Pencilism' Creations

We have seen artists work with pencils before, but never like this.

Born in Colombia, Frederico Uribe makes pop art masterpieces out of unexpected materials, from mops to "Puma" shoes (remember those?) and shoelaces. But our hearts lie with his "pencilism" works, which use the pencils as objects to create dynamic and colorful canvasses and sculptures.

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OLAF BREUNING



OLAF BREUNING

EARLIEST MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN EUROPE 40,000 YEARS AGO




Earliest musical instruments in Europe 40,000 years ago

The first modern humans in Europe were playing musical instruments and showing artistic creativity as early as 40,000 years ago, according to new research from Oxford and Tübingen universities.

The researchers have obtained important new radiocarbon dates for bones found in the same archaeological layers as a variety of musical instruments. The instruments take the form of flutes made from the bird bones and mammoth ivory. They were excavated at a key site in Germany, which is widely believed to have been occupied by some of first modern humans to arrive in Europe.

In a paper published in the Journal of Human Evolution, the researchers describe the new dating results for animal bones, excavated in the same archaeological layers as the instruments and early art, at Geißenklösterle Cave in the Swabian Jura of southern Germany. The animal bones bear cuts and marks from human hunting and eating.

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May 25, 2012

TOMOKAZU MATSUYAMA




Tomokazu Matsuyama

PETROV-VODKIN, KUZMA




PETROV-VODKIN, KUZMA (1878-1939)

LONDON.- On 27th and 30th of May MacDougall’s will offer an exceptional selection of rare Russian masterpieces, many of which have never before appeared at auction. The evening sale of Important Russian Art, which will take place on Sunday the 27th, will be led by the museum-quality painting, Still Life. Apples and Eggs, by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, estimated at £2,000,000-3,000,000.

Oil paintings by Petrov-Vodkin are exceedingly rare to appear on the market and few works of such significance as Still Life. Apples and Eggs remain in private hands. The work was previously owned by Abram Chudnovsky, one of the most important Soviet collectors of early 20th century Russian avant-garde painting. The work was widely exhibited after Chudnovsky’s death in 1985, and is now offered at auction for the first time.

MacDougall's Arts Ltd.
Important Russian Art
Lot: 16
PETROV-VODKIN, KUZMA (1878-1939)
Still Life. Apples and Eggs , signed with a monogram, inscribed in Cyrillic...
Estimate: £2,000,000 - £3,000,000

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BEVERLY PEPPER



Beverly Pepper



ANCIENT LIMESTONE MASK HEADING TO AUCTION



Ancient limestone mask heading to auction

An ancient limestone mask thought to be 9,000 years old will go on sale at a Christie's auction in June. The rare piece, from the Middle East, represents what is believed to be the oldest item ever offered by the auction house.

The mask dates from the Neolithic period, around the seventh millennium B.C., according to Christie's. The piece is 9 inches long and comes from the Judean desert in Israel, which stretches east from Jerusalem to the Jordan River.

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RESEARCHERS FIND A WAY TO DELAY AGING OF STEM CELLS




Researchers find a way to delay aging of stem cells

Salk scientists say their findings may lead to strategies to treat age-related diseases and improve regenerative medicine.

LA JOLLA, CA—Stem cells are essential building blocks for all organisms, from plants to humans. They can divide and renew themselves throughout life, differentiating into the specialized tissues needed during development, as well as cells necessary to repair adult tissue.

Therefore, they can be considered immortal, in that they recreate themselves and regenerate tissues throughout a person's lifetime, but that doesn't mean they don't age. They do, gradually losing their ability to effectively maintain tissues and organs.

Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered a series of biological events that implicate the stem cells' surroundings, known as their "niche," as the culprit in loss of stem cells due to aging. Their findings, published May 23rd in Nature, have implications for treatment of age-related diseases and for the effectiveness of regenerative medicine.

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EFFICIENT AND TUNABLE INTERFACE FOR QUANTUM NETWORKS


(May 24, 2012)  While several building blocks for a quantum computer have already been successfully tested in the laboratory, a network requires one additonal component: a reliable interface between computers and information channels. In the current issue of the journal Nature, physicists at the University of Innsbruck report the construction of an efficient and tunable interface for quantum networks.

Quantum technologies promise to redefine the landscape of information processing and communication. We already live in an information age, in which vast amounts of data are sent around the world over optical fibers, but future quantum networks may be many times more powerful. These networks will require interfaces that can transfer information from quantum processors onto light particles (photons). Such interfaces will allow optical fibers to transmit information-bearing photons between remote data registers, which are likely to be composed of quantum dots or ions. In contrast to classical information, quantum information can’t be copied without being corrupted. Instead, physicists around the world are searching for ways to transfer quantum information between matter and light using entanglement, the quantum property in which the state of one particle depends on the state of a second. Now, a research team led by Rainer Blatt, Tracy Northup, and Andreas Stute at the University of Innsbruck’s Institute for Experimental Physics has demonstrated the first interface between a single ion and a single photon that is both efficient and freely tunable.



TAKING SOLAR TECHNOLOGY UP A NOTCH





Taking Solar Technology Up a Notch

New inexpensive, environmentally friendly solar cell shines with potential

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The limitations of conventional and current solar cells include high production cost, low operating efficiency and durability, and many cells rely on toxic and scarce materials. Northwestern University researchers have developed a new solar cell that, in principle, will minimize all of these solar energy technology limitations.

In particular, the device is the first to solve the problem of the Grätzel cell, a promising low-cost and environmentally friendly solar cell with a significant disadvantage: it leaks. The dye-sensitized cell’s electrolyte is made of an organic liquid, which can leak and corrode the solar cell itself.

Grätzel cells use a molecular dye to absorb sunlight and convert it to electricity, much like chlorophyll in plants. But the cells typically don’t last more than 18 months, making them commercially unviable. Researchers have been searching for an alternative for two decades.

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3-D MODELS OF MONUMENTS USING UNMANNED AIRCRAFT




3-D MODELS OF MONUMENTS USING UNMANNED AIRCRAFT


A new imaging system produces 3-D models of monuments using unmanned aircraft

* To develop this system, University of Granada researchers used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which is an aircraft without a human pilot onboard.
* This system produces a realistic reproduction of architectural models at a low cost.

University of Granada researchers have developed a 3D imaging system that scans 3D models of historical buildings using data obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)–an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. This is the first 3D imaging system to combine the use of UAVs, image-based 3D modeling technologies, and virtual representation of models to produce a realistic modeling of 3D objects from images.

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FRED FRIEDRICH



FRED FRIEDRICH

http://www.fred-friedrich-art.de

MARIANA MONTEAGUDO



MARIANA  MONTEAGUDO


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LOURDES SILVA




LOURDES  SILVA

(Venezuela)

SARAH LUCAS DESIGN



SARAH LUCAS DESIGN

TINY 2,700 YEAR-OLD SEAL UNEARTHED




TINY 2,700 YEAR-OLD SEAL UNEARTHED

Tiny 2,700-year-old seal unearthed that  bears the name Bethlehem and could prove the birthplace of Jesus was the bustling market town described in the Old Testament

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Li GANG



Li LANG

WILFREDO LAM




WILFREDO LAM (1902 – 1982)

IDOLO
Hammer Price with Buyer’s Premium:
4,562,500 USD

(signed and dated 1944 lower left oil and charcoal canvas / 157,3 by 127,6 cm)


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BOBAN



BOBAN

May 21, 2012

RESEARCHERS IMPROVE FAST-MOVING MOBILE NETWORKS



Researchers Improve Fast-Moving Mobile Networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) allow people in multiple, rapidly-moving vehicles to communicate with each other – such as in military or emergency-response situations. Researchers from North Carolina State University have devised a method to improve the quality and efficiency of data transmission in these networks.

“Our goal was to get the highest data rate possible, without compromising the fidelity of the signal,” says Dr. Alexandra Duel-Hallen, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work.

Transmitting data within MANETs is challenging because every node that transmits and receives data is in motion – and the faster they are moving, the harder it is for the network to identify effective relay “paths” for transmitting data. This is because the power of the data-transmission channels fluctuates much more rapidly at high speed.

In other words, a transmitter may try to send a message through Relay A, because Relay A has a strong signal. However, because the transmitter and Relay A are both moving quickly, Relay A’s signal might be weak by the time the message actually gets there. And a weak signal could result in the message being garbled.

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INTRAVENOUS INJECTION OF QUANTUM DOTS




A pilot study in non-human primates shows no adverse response to intravenous injection of quantum dots

Nature Nanotechnology
Published online 20 May 2012

Abstract

Quantum dots have been used in biomedical research for imaging1, 2, diagnostics3, 4 and sensing purposes5, 6. However, concerns over the cytotoxicity of their heavy metal constituents7, 8 and conflicting results from in vitro7, 9 and small animal10, 11, 12, 13, 14 toxicity studies have limited their translation towards clinical applications. Here, we show in a pilot study that rhesus macaques injected with phospholipid micelle-encapsulated CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots do not exhibit evidence of toxicity. Blood and biochemical markers remained within normal ranges following treatment, and histology of major organs after 90 days showed no abnormalities. Our results show that acute toxicity of these quantum dots in vivo can be minimal. However, chemical analysis revealed that most of the initial dose of cadmium remained in the liver, spleen and kidneys after 90 days. This means that the breakdown and clearance of quantum dots is quite slow, suggesting that longer-term studies will be required to determine the ultimate fate of these heavy metals and the impact of their persistence in primates.

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BALLOT BOX


18th century, mahogany with brass handles and ivory labels, 36 x 24 x 32 cm.

GILES RAYNER



JAY GUNN



FIONA RAE



REMEE, The REM enhancing Lucid Dreaming Mask




Remee
The REM enhancing Lucid Dreaming Mask

Yes, really! For nearly as long as recorded human history, the idea of consciously recognizing and controlling our dreams has been around. From the Hindu Upanishads to Aristotle's On Dreams, people have been puzzling out the mysteries of lucid dreaming for centuries. These days, there's more information on Lucid Dreaming, the science behind it, and modes and methods of experiencing it than there ever has been. Yet the idea still remains relatively unknown to the average person.

May 18, 2012

SUSPICION RESIDES IN TWO REGIONS OF THE BRAIN



Our baseline level of distrust is distinct and separable from our inborn lie detector.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on my parahippocampal gyrus.

(May 18, 2015)  Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.

“We wondered how individuals assess the credibility of other people in simple social interactions,” said Read Montague, director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and the Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, who led the study. “We found a strong correlation between the amygdala and a baseline level of distrust, which may be based on a person’s beliefs about the trustworthiness of other people in general, his or her emotional state, and the situation at hand. What surprised us, though, is that when other people’s behavior aroused suspicion, the parahippocampal gyrus lit up, acting like an inborn lie detector.”


FEARING BACKLASH, POWERFUL WOMEN CURTAIL HOW MUCH THEY TALK AT WORK



Fearing Backlash, Powerful Women Curtail How Much They Talk at Work

Posted on: May 3, 2012
New Haven, Conn., May 3, 2012—Concerned about the negative consequences of appearing to be too outspoken, powerful women talk less than others in their organizations, while powerful men talk more, according to research by Victoria Brescoll, assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management.

Brescoll studied the amount of time men and women in powerful roles talk. She found that men with more power talk more than men with less power, but no significant difference in how much high- and low-power women talk.

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May 17, 2012

GENES MAKE FOR A LIFE OF SUCCESS



Genes make for a life of success

Genes play a greater role in forming character traits than was previously thought, new research suggests.

A study of more than 800 sets of twins found that genetics were more influential in shaping key traits than a person’s home environment and surroundings.

University psychologists, who carried out the study, say that genetically influenced characteristics could well be the key to how successful a person is in life.

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MANMADE POLLUTANTS MAY BE DRIVING EARTH’S TROPICAL BELT EXPANSION



Manmade Pollutants May Be Driving Earth’s Tropical Belt Expansion

UC Riverside-led team identifies black carbon and tropospheric ozone as most likely drivers of large-scale atmospheric circulation change in the Northern Hemisphere tropics.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Black carbon aerosols and tropospheric ozone, both manmade pollutants emitted predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere’s low- to mid-latitudes, are most likely pushing the boundary of the tropics further poleward in that hemisphere, new research by a team of scientists shows.

While stratospheric ozone depletion has already been shown to be the primary driver of the expansion of the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere, the researchers are the first to report that black carbon and tropospheric ozone are the most likely primary drivers of the tropical expansion observed in the Northern Hemisphere.

Led by climatologist Robert J. Allen, an assistant professor of Earth sciences at the University of California, Riverside, the research team notes that an unabated tropical belt expansion would impact large-scale atmospheric circulation, especially in the subtropics and mid-latitudes.

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