Monthly Archives: August 2012

Dinosaur Prints Found At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center [Video]

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The people at NASA spend most of their time thinking about the sky above them. Turns out, one of their most biggest discoveries could be sitting next to their feet. A set of dinosaur prints have been found atNASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

MSNBC reports that dino-hunterRay Stanford found the footprint on NASAs Maryland campus. The footprint belongs to a spiny dinosaur called a nodosaur and is about the size of a dinner plate.

Stanford said that the nodosaur was a tank-like beast that lived about 110 million years ago.

Stanford said:

Space scientists may walk along here, and theyre walking exactly where this big, bungling heavy-armored dinosaur walked, maybe 110 to 112-million years ago.

The amateur paleontologist believes that the nodosaur was running at the time since the heel didnt sink too far into the mud. Stanford also says that he has discovered several smaller footprints in the area.

According to Live Science, the dinosaur print discovered at NASA shouldnt be too surprising. After all, the area between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland is often referred to as dinosaur alley.

Heres a video of Ray Stanford talking about the dinosaur prints he found at NASA.

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Dinosaur Prints Found At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center [Video]

Apparent dinosaur track found at space flight center

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(CNN) -

Goddard Space Flight Center scientists trying to unlock secrets of the universe have had clues to the prehistoric past resting literally beneath their feet.

Dinosaur tracker Ray Stanford this summer discovered on the center's campus the apparent footprint of a nodosaur, a plant-eater that roamed suburban Washington, D.C., about 110 million years ago.

The track, almost 14 inches wide, is near a sidewalk at the Goddard complex in Greenbelt, Maryland, home to 7,000 employees engaged in astrophysics, heliophysics and planetary science.

"It is sheer poetry," Stanford told CNN on Tuesday. "It is because of the juxtaposition that evokes so much interest."

Stanford late last week gave NASA officials a firsthand look at the print, which was hiding in plain sight all these years.

"It's something that if you knew what you were looking for you would have seen," said Alan Binstock, in charge of cultural and archaeological matters at the facility. "That's what's so amazing."

A paleontologist will do a survey to confirm the find, Binstock said, and will help determine what areas on the fenced campus may need further protection.

"I said this is not the only one," Stanford said. "There has to be many here."

Officials are staying mum on the footprint's exact location.

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Apparent dinosaur track found at space flight center

Rats spread out from landfill in Medicine Hat, Alta.

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The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012 8:59PM EDT

MEDICINE HAT, Alberta -- An official for Medicine Hat in southeastern Alberta says the rat population found in the city's landfill appears to be spreading to cushier digs.

Bylaw superintendent Fred Crittenden says the rodents are now being discovered in residential areas.

All appear to be the same species as the more than 80 Norway rats that have been found in the dump since earlier this month.

Crittenden says there have been dozens of complaints.

"So far ... we've have about 31 or 32 potential sightings. We've been able to confirm about 13 of those so far," he said Tuesday.

"We've had confirmed sightings all over the city and we've actually got photos of them or we've picked them up."

Most of the pests, however, have been found in an area close to the South Saskatchewan River.

Crittenden said traps will be put up around the city.

"Our pest control company is setting up bait stations at various locations that we feel they are most likely to migrate to," he said. "Those are going to be checked on a regular basis to see what kind of activity we're having on them."

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Rats spread out from landfill in Medicine Hat, Alta.

Valley weighs A&M option on long sought medical school

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When the mayors of Harlingen and Edinburg received invites to a University of Texas event outlining a blueprint for the Rio Grande Valleys long sought medical school, both mayors had already scheduled a prior engagement on that topic later that same day.

Edinburg Mayor Richard Garcia and Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell were front and center at the University of Texas-Pan American on Friday when system Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa announced a blueprint that will graduate the first class of South Texas medical students by 2018.

Garcia and Boswell left UTs morning announcement to join other Valley mayors in weighing their options for a medical school behind closed doors, a meeting set up days before the hastily-scheduled UT news conference to unveil its own vision for a Valley medical school.

Garcia organized the meeting of mayors to determine common ground issues and affirm a shared commitment to a South Texas medical school that will likely take the combined support of Hidalgo and Cameron counties, he said.

But the meeting also exposed some Valley officials frustration with UTs slow pace to establish a full-fledged medical school here and a willingness to explore whats perceived as genuine interest from the Texas A&M system to establish its own Valley medical school.

Garcia said nothing came out of the mayors meeting attended by city, county and Doctors Hospital at Renaissance and Valley Baptist officials other than a goal to host similar discussions soon.

Theres already been an investment made here (with UT) and we want to move that forward, said Garcia, whose city would retain the medical schools research facilities under UTs proposal. But if something else comes up thats worth talking about, lets talk about it.

PLANTING A FLAG

The fight for a Valley medical school is part of an overall push between the UT and Texas A&M systems to increase their presence in one of the fastest growing regions of the state. Internal conflicts between Hidalgo and Cameron county officials remain about how the school should be funded and where its components would be located.

On Friday, Cigarroa announced a blueprint to graduate the first cohort of Valley medical students in 2018 by relying on medical school infrastructure already in place in the Valley and San Antonio. As UT pursues accreditation and funding for the Valleys medical school, students could enroll in an independent South Texas track, begin classes at UTs Health Science Center in San Antonio and complete their final two years and clerkships in the Valley.

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Valley weighs A&M option on long sought medical school

Pondexter, Pierson lead Liberty past Sky

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ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- Cappie Pondexter scored 25 points and Plenette Pierson added 21 as the New York Liberty beat the Chicago Sky 77-67 Tuesday night.

The Liberty (8-13) saw an 18-point second half lead trimmed to six early in the fourth quarter, then rebuilt a double-digit advantage and maintained it the rest of the way. New York pulled one-half game behind Chicago for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

''The team we were competing for the playoff spot is Chicago,'' Liberty coach John Whisenant said. ''So getting a win here was very important to us, trying to claw our way back into the playoff race.''

Sylvia Fowles scored 18 points, Shay Murphy had 16 and Epiphanny Prince added 10 for the Sky (8-12), who lost their seventh straight and 11th in 12.

Prince, playing in her third game since returning from a foot injury, was carried off the court with 4:51 to play after rolling her right ankle. She didn't return, but was seen standing courtside through the final minutes.

Fowles and Cash had six points apiece as Chicago led for all but the opening seconds on the way to a 21-16 after one quarter. Pierson paced New York with eight points.

Pondexter scored back-to-back buckets over a 21-second span late in the second quarter to give the Liberty their first lead since the opening minute. It was part of an 13-0 run that helped New York to a 40-32 halftime lead. Pondexter, who grew up in Chicago, had eight points in the period.

''Obviously it's important because you have a buildup of excitement from being home, but more importantly we needed this win to inch closer to the playoffs,'' she said.

The Liberty more than doubled the lead in the third quarter behind 12 points from Pondexter. New York led 61-43 with 1:23 remaining before Chicago pulled within 12 entering the final period.

''We have to put together longer stretches of defense,'' Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. ''You know what New York is going to bring. It starts with Cappie (Pondexter). She is the head of the snake and we didn't do a very good job of cutting that off. Plenette (Pierson) is back and healthy. They made plays.''

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Pondexter, Pierson lead Liberty past Sky

Liberty Media unit mobile phone lawsuit can proceed: judge

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(Reuters) - A unit of Liberty Media Corp can proceed with its lawsuit against Ericsson , Qualcomm Inc and Alcatel-Lucent SA that accuses the three manufacturers of conspiring to exclude Liberty's positioning technology from being adopted in 4G mobile phones, a judge decided on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Robert Kelly in Philadelphia wrote that TruePosition Inc's allegations of an illegal ...

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Liberty Media unit mobile phone lawsuit can proceed: judge

Walnut Creek launches floating islands to deal with pollutants, help habitat

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WALNUT CREEK -- The city has a new weapon against goose poop in Heather Farm Park's cement pond -- floating islands.

To cut down on chemically treating water and to give fish a chance to thrive, Walnut Creek became the first Bay Area city Tuesday to try out man-made floating islands as an environmentally sustainable way to get cleaner water and improve fish habitat.

Volunteers planted and launched two 100-square-foot "BioHaven Floating Islands" in the park's cement pond Tuesday. Using recycled plastic drinking bottles on the bottom, which look like 12-inch-thick steel wool pads, the islands' tops were loaded with mulch and about 50 plants each. The islands act as wetlands designed to suck up pollutants from the lake floor and at the same time create shade for fish, fostering a new habitat.

"If this works -- and there is no reason why it shouldn't -- the water quality will be substantially cleaner without" chemicals, said Mayor Bob Simmons, who helped plant and launch the islands Tuesday. "It will make the pond look nice, and I think a lot of people will appreciate that."

The islands will be chained to the bottom of the eight-foot-deep lake, so they won't move around too much. They also shouldn't be accessible to people.

Within a year, the islands will be established, and their root systems -- which can grow four feet long -- will suck out pollutants, said Mike Vickers, Walnut Creek's public services manager.

Kids from

Watching the kids learn about the islands, the plants and the fish is exactly why the Diablo Valley Fly Fisherman club wanted to get something done at the lake they use.

But fisherman's club members felt creating a better habitat is the right thing to do. And they hope a thriving lake with bigger fish will attract more kids and families to the lake, and eventually result in more fishing, said Dave McCants, a fly tier with the club.

"Kids are not around nature that much, this gets them out here to see there is much more in life than just video games," he said.

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Walnut Creek launches floating islands to deal with pollutants, help habitat

Memphis lessens health care hike

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The city of Memphis will reduce a planned health care premium increase for city employees and non-Medicare retirees.

In June, the council approved raising rates employees and retirees pay to 28.5 percent of costs, up from 27 percent.

However, Memphis officials and the city's health care consultant, Mercer, since discovered that the existing rate was 26 percent, not the 27 percent they reported during budget discussions.

The city is now proposing to increase the rate to 27.5 percent in January, which could cost the city an additional $600,000.

Deputy finance director James Stokes said the health care fund for the previous fiscal year could produce a surplus of $400,000 and that the city might make up the rest of the deficit after the middle of the fiscal year.

"Because we were given incorrect information, the increase was higher than we intended," said council budget committee chairman Jim Strickland. "It's disappointing that we get incorrect information because we make decisions that affect taxpayers and employees, and we want to be fair."

City ordinance requires retirees and employees to pay 30 percent of their health care costs, but the city has not imposed that amount for several years.

"We've got to get to 30 percent and we all know that," said Mike Lee, secretary for the Association of Retired City Employees. "But we're in a terrible time of austerity and there has to be fairness to everybody. We're real pleased with what the city is proposing."

City transfers James Lee House

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to transfer the historic James Lee House in Victorian Village to a private developer for $1.

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GOP: Let's debate health taxes, too

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Just what Congress needs during its year-end tax fight: another tussle over President Barack Obamas health care law.

When lawmakers return to Washington after the November elections, some House and Senate Republicans want the party to fight to repeal billions of dollars worth of new taxes that will take effect next year to help pay for the 2010 health care overhaul.

Id like to think that in theory in the lame duck, everything is on the table, including all of the health care taxes, Ohio Rep. Patrick Tiberi, a senior Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, told POLITICO. The reality is those taxes also have a big impact on Americans.

Tense negotiations between Republicans and Democrats are expected on Capitol Hill during the lame duck session as lawmakers returning from a bitter election must decide what to do with the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, the payroll tax break, emergency unemployment benefits and $1.2 trillion in spending cuts slated to begin in January. In Washington parlance, this unholy tax-and-spending stew is called the fiscal cliff.

Throwing the health care taxes into the mix stands to only increase the chances for gridlock.

Still, some Republicans say the party shouldnt ignore these tax hikes just because Congress already faces a daunting to-do list.

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), another Ways and Means member, said the health care levies particularly those on investment income claimed by high earners should be part of the year-end debate.

This tax increase on investment income, along with the dozens of other tax rates set to go up at the end of the year, underscores why Congress must act to stop this massive tax hike from slamming the U.S. economy, Black told POLITICO.

The effort is backed by the National Federation of Independent Business, a trade group that was part of the losing bid earlier in the summer to have the Supreme Court overturn the health care law.

NFIB officials say they are already in communication with congressional leaders on the issue.

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Backers raise cash for Tesla museum

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(CNN) -

At the dawn of the 20th century, Nicola Tesla wanted to save the world from fuel dependency. Now, an Internet cartoonist wants to save Tesla's last remaining laboratory as a tribute to the futurist inventor.

The structure, a 94-by-94-foot building, was the location where Tesla hoped to develop wireless communications and clean, free energy for everyone in the early 1900s. He moved his operation to the Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, New York, in 1902 -- so named because of a 187-foot tower rising from the ground (as well as being sunk 120 feet below it) that was to be one of the great transmitters for his wireless energy dream.

The facility was lost a few years later due to debts Tesla racked up, and the huge tower was demolished in 1917. The site would ultimately become a Superfund location because of silver and cadmium toxicity in the ground after a photographic film company used it for nearly 48 years. It has now been cleaned up and is no longer harmful.

Tesla died penniless and in debt in 1943.

Currently, the building and surrounding land sit idle and are up for sale. Matthew Inman, the creator of Web cartoon "The Oatmeal," is joining forces with a nonprofit group, The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, to help preserve the facility as a science center and museum honoring "the father of the electric age."

"Tesla is an unsung hero, and there are very few monuments to him in the United States. I feel like that's something we need to fix," Inman said. "I made a comic about Tesla on my site. It got the most 'likes' on Facebook that I've ever seen in my career. Combine (the fact) that I've got this army of Tesla fans and the experience and success with my other fund-raiser, I felt like I was the ideal person to step in to control."

Inman's previous experience with the IndieGoGo crowdfunding site stemmed from a potential lawsuit and his subsequent campaign to raise money for the National Wildlife Federation and the American Cancer Society. This current effort, bluntly titled "Let's Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum," exploded after it was launched, raising more than $750,000 within five days.

It had topped $792,000 as of Tuesday morning.

The goal was to raise enough money to buy the property and begin efforts to restore the facility. The asking price is $1.6 million, and Inman's goal of $850,000 would be matched by a New York state grant for the same amount, raising a total of $1.7 million. Inman said he was shocked by how much, and how quickly, people have donated to save Tesla's lab.

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Backers raise cash for Tesla museum

Nationwide Children's Specialists Collaborate on Manual of Pediatric Neurology

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Newswise More than two dozen pediatric specialists from Nationwide Childrens Hospital contributed to the recently released Manual of Pediatric Neurology, published by World Scientific Publishing Co. The physicians, who represent an array of pediatric disciplines, collaborated to address frequently encountered conditions for pediatric patients in all clinical settings.

Edited by Pedro Weisleder, MD, PhD, pediatric neurologist at Nationwide Childrens, the textbook is geared to the interests of primary care pediatricians, sub-specialists, medical students, clinical residents and nurses. The content covers all aspects of caring for pediatric neurology patients, including managing seizures in the emergency department, treating epilepsy in the outpatient setting, acute and chronic management of headaches, tic disorder, and neuromuscular illnesses, among others. Emphasis is placed on signs and symptoms, diagnostic tests, as well as practical advice on treatment.

Chapters also address topics tangentially related to child neurology such as syncope and ventriculo-peritoneal shunt failure. Emerging and rapidly changing topics, such as neonatal neurology and the management of stroke in children, are also covered.

In addition to Dr. Weisleder, contributors include Neurology Chief, E. Steve Roach, MD, as well as other leading pediatric specialists in child neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology, hospice and palliative care, and infectious diseases.

The Manual of Pediatric Neurology is the newest publication among seven texts authored or edited in recent years by a faculty member from the Neurosciences Center at Nationwide Childrens.

The Neurosciences Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital includes leading clinicians and researchers in neurology and neuromuscular disease, neurosurgery, neurodiagnostics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and sleep medicine.

U.S.News & World Report recently recognized Nationwide Childrens among the top 10 programs in the country for neurology and neurosurgical care. This ranking came in addition to the hospitals overall Honor Roll designation, which ranks it among the countrys top seven childrens hospitals.

Learn more at NationwideChildrens.org/Neurosciences.

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Nationwide Children's Specialists Collaborate on Manual of Pediatric Neurology

Dichtel honored for excellence in organic chemistry

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Aug. 21, 2012

Dichtel honored for excellence in organic chemistry

William Dichtel, Cornell assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology, has won a 2013 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award.

Presented by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the award honors and encourages excellence in organic chemistry. Dichtel was recognized for pioneering the chemistry of covalent organic frameworks, which organize organic semiconductors into predictable two-dimensional layered networks ideal for photovoltaic performance.

He also uses synthetic and supramolecular chemistry to develop structurally precise organic materials. Projects in his laboratory involve organic and polymer chemistry, solution and solid-state characterization, nanofabrication and electronic testing of materials.

The award consists of $25,000, as well as an unrestricted $150,000 grant that the recipient can assign to any university or nonprofit institution for research in organic chemistry. Dichtel will give an address at the ACS national meeting in the fall, and the award will be presented at the ACS's national meeting in spring 2013.

ACS is the world's largest scientific society and represents professionals at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry and sciences that involve chemistry.

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Dichtel honored for excellence in organic chemistry

Argentina Plans New Biotechnology Law in Bid to Tempt Monsanto

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Argentina is working on a new seed law to protect intellectual property rights for agricultural biotechnology in a bid to lure Monsanto Co. (MON) to bring its second generation of transgenic-soybean seeds into the country.

"We've decide to move forward on a seed law draft, as corresponds in a country that aspires to be a leader in food production," agriculture minister Norberto Yauhar said in a press release Tuesday.

"We're looking to protect intellectual property in the development process," Mr. Yauhar said, adding that the bill will be sent to congress for debate in the coming months.

Argentina is the world's top soymeal and soyoil exporter, and ranks third behind the U.S. and Brazil in soybean exports.

Agricultural-biotech-company Monsanto is planning on selling its second-generation of transgenic-soybean seeds in Argentina in 2014 despite struggling for years to collect royalties on the first-generation seeds.

The U.S. patent for those first-generation soybean seeds, which are genetically modified to resist the herbicide glyphosate, runs out in 2014. The new seeds, will add insect resistance as well.

Monsanto failed to obtain a local patent for the genetically modified soybean seeds it introduced in Argentina 15 years ago and its efforts to collect royalties have been foiled by local regulations.

However, Monsanto says it is making progress in reaching an agreement with growers to pay royalties before introducing the new, improved strain of soybean seeds.

Monsanto has a patent for the new seeds in Argentina, but under current local law, farmers aren't required to pay royalties on the seeds they hold back for the next planting season.

Virtually all of the soybeans grown in Argentina are based on Monsanto's technology and the company is hoping that the potential yield increase for the second generation seeds will entice Argentina to get serious on ensuring it can collect royalties.

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Argentina Plans New Biotechnology Law in Bid to Tempt Monsanto

Cheap Four-fingered Robot Hand Edges Closer To Human Dexterity

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36579393 story Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 21, @07:20PM from the talk-to-the-hand dept. ananyo writes "A robot that can reproduce the dexterity of the human hand remains a dream of the bioengineering profession. One new approach to achieving this goal avoids trying to replicate the intricacy of the bones, joints and ligaments that produce our most basic gestures. A Sandia National Laboratories research team has adopted just such a strategy by designing a modular, plastic proto-hand whose electronics system is largely made from parts found in cell phones. The Sandia Hand can still perform with a high level of finesse for a robot, and is even capable of replacing the batteries in a small flashlight. It is expected to cost about $10,000, a fraction of the $250,000 price tag for a state-of-the-art robot hand today. The Sandia Hand's fingers are modular and affixed to the hand frame via magnets. This gives the researchers the flexibility to design interchangeable appendages tipped with screwdrivers, flashlights, cameras and other tools. The fingers are also designed to detach automatically to avoid damage if the hand hits a wall or other solid object too hard. The researchers say the hand can even be manipulated to retrieve and reattach a fallen finger. The Hand's current incarnation has only four fingers, including the equivalent of an opposable thumb. In the video with the article, the Sandia Hand demonstrates a number of capabilities, including, perhaps most impressively, dropping a AA battery into a flashlight."

God must have loved calories, she made so many of them.

Working...

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Cheap Four-fingered Robot Hand Edges Closer To Human Dexterity

Spirituality Enhances Mental Health

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No matter what your faith is, you're more likely to be mentally healthy if you're in any way spiritual. According to a press release from the University of Missouri, despite differences in rituals and beliefs among the worlds major religions, spirituality correlates with good mental health. The MU researchers believe that health care providers could take advantage of this link between mental health and spirituality by tailoring treatments and rehabilitation programs to accommodate an individuals spiritual inclinations.

The paper, Relationships Among Spirituality, Religious Practices, Personality Factors, and Health for Five Different Faiths, was published in the Journal of Religion and Health. The participants in the study included Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.

The university release quotes Dan Cohen, assistant teaching professor of religious studies at MU and one of the co-authors of the study, as saying, With increased spirituality people reduce their sense of self and feel a greater sense of oneness and connectedness with the rest of the universe. What was interesting was that frequency of participation in religious activities or the perceived degree of congregational support was not found to be significant in the relationships between personality, spirituality, religion, and health.

Cohen also said that his team's prior research showed that the mental health of people recovering from various medical conditions such as cancer, stroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury appears to be related significantly to positive spiritual beliefs and especially congregational support and spiritual interventions. Spiritual beliefs may be a coping device to help individuals deal emotionally with stress, Cohen noted. On the other hand, Cohen cautioned that the negative side of a patients spirituality may manifest itself in the tendency to view misfortune as a divine curse. He suggested that health workers need to learn how to minimize the potentially damaging results of this aspect of spirituality. In their conclusion, the researchers wrote spiritual interventions "should continue to be used in clinical practice and investigated in health research."

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Spirituality Enhances Mental Health