August 14, 2006, 10:01 PM CT

Large and small stars in harmonious coexistence

The latest photo from the Hubble Space Telescope, presented at the 2006 General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Prague this week, shows a star forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).

This image reveals a large number of low-mass infant stars coexisting with young massive stars.........

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August 14, 2006, 9:53 PM CT

Insights To High-maintenance Dynamics

Take the co-worker with whom you always seem to be somewhat out of sync. So much of your psychic energy is consumed trying to get on the same page with him that by the time you get home you are too drained to do much of anything, never mind read any of those books you were compelled to buy on office politics.

Or imagine Bob, an experienced cook, who shows up at a soup kitchen for the first time enthusiastic about sharing responsibilities with another accomplished cook. The problem is that the styles of Bob and his fellow cook clash so much that later that evening, when Bob is at home, both his concentration and manuscript writing suffer greatly.

Confirming what a number of of us have suspected anecdotally, new research from Northwestern University shows that high-maintenance or difficult interactions indeed drain us. Most importantly, the study demonstrates how those draining social dynamics, in which an individual is trying so hard to regulate his or her behavior, can impair success on subsequent unrelated tasks.

"Luckily, humans are exceptionally social beings equipped with remarkable behavioral repertoires for engaging in effective interpersonal relationships," said Eli Finkel, assistant professor of psychology at Northwestern and the study's main investigator. "But there are plenty of inefficient interpersonal interactions that we engage in every day, and those draining dynamics have significant consequences."........

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August 14, 2006, 6:56 AM CT

Swarovsky-coated Accessories

Thanks to the Rappers the Bling culture is going great guns. You turn around and I can bet you will definitely find something blingy even in places where it is least important.

Gone are the days when the workstation was a place that was expected to be sober and formal, but today the bling culture has swayed over this place too. Here is a blingy desk set that enough to jazz up your desktop.

The swarovsky-encrusted desk set from Neiman Marcus includes a cello tape dispenser, a stapler and an optical mouse all starting off from a price of $100.........

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August 14, 2006, 6:53 AM CT

Fortune Ball: Your Own Fortune-Teller

If you believe in astrology and look forward to the weekly column with cuiosity then inspite of waiting with baited-breath get yourself this amazing Fortune Ball that will tell you what lies in your future anytime. Invented by Dr Ming Fang, a well-known developer of medical and industrial products, the Fortune Ball lets you know your fortune forecast up to thirty days in advance by using the entire Chinese calendar, theories of Astrology, Numerology, I Ching and Biorhythms. And, it can even tell you what the last 30 days were like to strengthen your belief!.

The ball looks at three aspects of your life vis your health, wealth and love life, and the intricately etched crystal ball will glow different colours to let you know what to expect in each area of your life. It takes about 15 seconds for the internal computer to correlate all the data and it will then project the relevant colour onto the etched globe within the crystal ball. The ball is nestled in a chrome base with LCD, so, will make a nice show- piece too with its modern appeal. It sells for $112.68. I want one!!!........

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August 14, 2006, 6:45 AM CT

Automatic Crib Rocker

If you have a baby then you know, how tough it is to make him/her sleep at times, sing lullabies, walking him outside to make him doze off, keep rocking his crib and so on.! So, here is the solution for all the restless parents to keep the baby-blues away, Lullabub Crib Rocker. The automatic crib rocker is comprised of four modules that are placed under each leg of a crib.

The remote-controlled rocking system gently creates motion automatically in a harmonic rhythm to naturally soothe and settle babies to sleep. It can even recreate the rocking motions of a mother's womb, a mother's heartbeat, a drive in the car or a boat on the water.amazing.No! The Lullabub sells for $229.........

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August 13, 2006, 7:04 PM CT

Distributed Data Analysis of Neutron Scattering

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded nearly $12 million to the California Institute of Technology for computer software to analyze neutron-scattering experiments. The work could show how to design new materials for a huge variety of applications in transportation, construction, electronics and space exploration.

The five-year Distributed Data Analysis for Neutron Scattering Experiments (DANSE) project is led by Brent Fultz, a professor of materials science and applied physics at Caltech, with co-principal researchers Michael A. G. Aivazis of the Center for Advanced Computing Research at Caltech, and Ian S. Anderson of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Neutron scattering is a method of analyzing the stability of materials, molecules, and condensed matter at various temperatures and pressures by looking at the positions and motions of the atoms that make up the materials. As per Fultz, the research will find the principles behind how atoms can be combined to form stable materials and will eventually show how new materials could be optimized for characteristics such as mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, energy storage and corrosion resistance.

The low intensities of today's neutron sources have impaired a number of neutron-scattering measurements. That will change in 2008 as the SNS, constructed by the Department of Energy at a cost of $1.4 billion, begins to operate at high power. The unprecedented quality of data from the SNS will allow a deeper understanding of atomic interactions, for example, and will require better methods for interpreting the measurements.........

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August 13, 2006, 6:57 PM CT

Nanotubes Not for Toothpaste

When scientists fire electron beams at multi-layered carbon nanotubes, they collapse, much like a tube of toothpaste, with such force the nanotubes extrude whatever may be inside, even extremely hard iron carbide. The process--which has applications for manufacturing durable, metal nanowires and similar materials--creates pressures within the tubes that reach one-tenth the crushing force in the Earth's core.

National Science Foundation-supported researcher Pulickel Ajayan of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) worked with an international team to develop the process. First, the scientists constructed long nanotubes of onion-like layers of carbon containing a 9-nanometer (billionth of a meter) core of iron or iron carbide, and then they blasted the tube with a beam of electrons. The tube collapsed, extruding an iron-carbide wire only 2 nanometers in diameter. What's more, the tube neatly pinched off the wire's end where the tube collapsed completely.

The findings appeared in the May 26, 2006, issue of the journal Science. Florian Banhart of Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Gera number of, led the team, which included colleagues at the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and the University of Helsinki in Finland.........

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August 13, 2006, 6:48 PM CT

Innovative Generator For Energy Savings

An innovative residential generator that can produce both heat and electricity could spark a revolution in energy efficiency, said Eric Guyer (S.M. 1974, Sc.D. 1977), the CEO of Climate Energy, during an MIT Energy Club talk on Aug. 9.

Guyer described Climate Energy's micro-combined heat and power unit (micro-CHP) to the standing-room-only crowd gathered in the Tang Center as "hopefully, the next big thing in energy."

Guyer's talk was part of the Energy Club's lecture and discussion series, sponsored by the Graduate Student Council. These biweekly events occur year-round and feature lecturers or student-led discussions on important energy topics.

The idea for combined heat and power (CHP) is nothing new, Guyer said. "Thomas Edison's first power plant was combined," he explained. Still, the idea of generating both heat and energy in a way that is not only affordable but also quiet enough for use in a private home is a more recent development.

"On an industrial scale, CHP is used all the time," Guyer said. A natural gas-powered micro-CHP unit has the potential to save the consumer money by using the same fuel they buy anyway to generate both heat and electricity with greater efficiency.

The micro-CHP systems are driven by heat-demand, delivering electricity as the byproduct. "This is all about providing thermal comfort to homeowners," Guyer said.........

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August 13, 2006, 6:44 PM CT

Microbe center plumbs depths of ocean life

Scientists from MIT and six other institutions are part of a new center for exploring the microbial inhabitants of the sea.

The Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) will facilitate collaborations among the previously separate disciplines of oceanography, microbiology, ecology and genomics. These new alliances will enable a deeper understanding of the seas, including their potential response to global environmental variability and climate change.

C-MORE, which will receive approximately $19 million from the National Science Foundation over the first five years, is based at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Participating institutions in addition to MIT and UH Manoa are the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Oregon State University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the University of California at Santa Cruz, and the Hawaii Department of Education.

"A central objective of C-MORE will be to increase understanding about how biological diversity detected at the genome level expresses itself at the ecosystem function level, and then to transfer this knowledge to policymakers to assist them in their decision-making process," said MIT Professor Edward DeLong, C-MORE associate director for research.

"Marine microorganisms are invisible to the naked eye, but their presence enables all multicellular life to exist, including human populations," said DeLong, who holds appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Biological Engineering Division. "Novel methods in molecular biology combined with satellite- and sea-based remote sensing technologies provide an unprecedented opportunity to study microorganisms across broad spatial scales ranging from genes to entire ocean basins".........

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August 13, 2006, 6:33 PM CT

Depressed People Benefit More From Marriage

Depressed singles receive greater psychological benefits from getting married than those who are not depressed, new research shows.

While many studies have shown that marriage helps boost well-being, most studies have looked at a general, average population and don't examine whether some people were helped more by marriage than others.

"Our findings question the common assumption that marriage is always a good choice for all individuals," said Adrianne Frech, co-author of the study and a doctoral student in sociology at Ohio State University.

Frech conducted the study with Kristi Williams, assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State. Williams said the study was the first to compare how depressed and non-depressed people benefit from marriage.

"Those 'average' benefits of marriage may be largely limited to people who are depressed before they entered marriage," Williams said. "There may not be strong benefits for everyone".

Frech will present their findings Aug. 13 in Montreal at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

The researchers used data collected by the National Survey of Families and Households, which interviewed a representative sample of Americans in 1987-88 and then re-interviewed them in 1992-94. They used data from 3,066 people who were unmarried at the time of the first interview.........

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