I have a tool that I recently got....
I want to adapt it to run off a small engine...maybe 8 hp or so. Any suggestions as to what would be the best way to go about this? horizontal or vertical shaft? I also need to gear it down. I am not really sure what par
The CX2 dipped its toe into the pool last August, but already there's a successor—the CX3. The main difference is the 10-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor (upgraded from the 9.29-megapixel used in both the CX2 and CX1).
The US pricing hasn't been confirmed yet, but over in Australia they'll be able to pick one up for AU$499 (US$443) later this month.
HD video recording is listed as 1280 x 720 res, a welcome upgrade from the CX2's 640 x 480, as is the 10.7x 28-300mm optical wide-angle zoom lens. Really, anyone who bought a CX2 six months earlier must be feeling preeeeetty annoyed right about now. [DP Review]
Hi,
I am using ETAP for system studies.In that for Generator and Grid there are some options available as modes as"swing,voltage control,PF control,mvar control".I know the meaning of those modes of operation.But the problem is "are these types of modes of operations are available for gener
Afresh in this point. The porcetaje of RT welding rejections of a welder must be calculated for welds, for films or for inches?. Is the same (W,F,I) for Random, or for Spot? . There is something written (Code, Standard...) about of this?. Several times I have stumbled over this situation without a
As strangely sleek and prettynaff this fiberglass F1 lounge chair is, I can't believe the designer—Hungarian Alexander Christoff—missed the opportunity to make it wheeled. What's wrong with you, Alexander?
You are making office chair racing fans weep all around the world. Are you happy now? Fine. Be that way. [Behance via Examiner via Born Rich]
Wii have a problem: a review of self-reported Wii related injuries.
“PURPOSE: The increasing popularity of the Wii video game console has been associated with a number of gameplay related traumas. We sought to investigate if there were any identifiable injury patterns associated with Wii use. METHODS: Utilising a database of self-reported Wii related injuries, the data was categorised by type of injury and game title being played at the time of injury. FINDINGS: We found that of 39 reported Wii related injuries over a two-year span, 46% occurred while playing the Wii Sports Tennis software. Further, we identified 14 distinct injury patterns sustained during gameplay. Of these injuries, hand lacerations were the most common, accounting for 44% of the total number of reported cases. CONCLUSIONS: Injury associated with video game play is not unique to the Wii, nor is it a new phenomenon. However, the Wii console appears to have a higher rate of associated injuries than traditional game consoles because of its unique user interface. We review the literature and discuss some of the medical complications associated with the Wii and other video game consoles.”
Photo: flickr/Joe Shlabotnik
Related content:
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Sex differences in Nintendo Wii performance as expected from hunter-gatherer selection.
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Blue is for losers.
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Are National Guardsmen the positive or negative control?
In 1998 Andrew Wakefield and 11 other co-authors published a study with the unremarkable title: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Such a title would hardly grab a science journalist’s attention, but the small study sparked widespread hysteria about a possible connection between the mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The study itself has not stood the test of time. The results could not be replicated by other labs. A decade of subsequent research has sufficiently cleared the MMR vaccine of any connection to ASD. The lab used to search for measles virus in the guts of the study subjects has been shown to have used flawed techniques, resulting in false positives (from the Autism Omnibus testimony, and here is a quick summary). There does not appear to be any association between autism and a GI disorder.
But it’s OK to be wrong in science. There is no expectation that every potential finding will turn out to be true – in fact it is expected that most new finding will eventually be found to be false. That’s the nature of investigating the unknown. No harm no foul.
Andrew Wakefield, however, was apparently guilty of more than just getting it wrong, or even of being a sloppy scientist. He has been the subject of an ethics investigation by the General Medical Council who recently concluded that:
The General Medical Council ruled he had acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly” in doing his research.
David Gorski has the full report on the GMC ruling, which I will not repeat.
What is also at issue, however, is the integrity of the published peer-reviewed medical research. Again – there is not the expectation that peer-reviewed research will always get the answer right. In fact, the published research stands as an important record of error – the blind alleys, red herrings, false correlations, and erroneous conclusions that are part of the history of science.
However, error should not include scientific fraud, or science that is thoroughly misrepresented. One aspect of the transparency demanded by science, and increasingly an issue, is disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. This is the issue that first got Wakefield in hot water with the Lancet – the journal that published his original research. Wakefield was being paid as an expert by lawyers who were suing over alleged vaccine injury. In fact some of the children in the study were the children of parents who were suing. This is a massive conflict of interest.
When this came to light the Lancet responded by contacting the co-authors of the article and essentially asking them if they still stand by the results of the study. Ten of the original 12 authors of the study retracted their support for the study and its interpretation. In 2004 the Lancet published a retraction. However, it was only a partial retraction, and the study remained as part of the published literature.
In the wake of the GMC ruling, however, the Lancet has once again reviewed the study and concluded that there is now sufficient evidence of wrongdoing on Wakefield’s part to print a full retraction. Here is the entire text of the article:
Following the judgment of the UK General Medical Council’s Fitness to Practise Panel on Jan 28, 2010, it has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation. In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were “consecutively referred” and that investigations were “approved” by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record.
This should be the final nail in the coffin of this controversial and harmful study. Coming 12 years after the original paper, after just about every element of the research and its findings have been refuted, the Lancet retraction almost seems unecessary. But it is necessary and important. As the retraction indicates – it removes this dubious research from the published record.
While we can all celebrate this move, I also believe it highlights the need for scientific journals to have a lower threshold in retracting published studies that are found to be fraudulent, or are so flawed either ethically or scientifically that they should never have been published in the first place.
The process of editorial and peer-review is not perfect, and given the number of papers that are published there is no way to keep dubious, even fraudulent, research from slipping past the goalies. But peer-review does not stop when a paper is published – in fact that is when it begins in earnest. So it is common for serious problems with a paper to be discovered only after they are published. When this happens, the journal editors should be willing to admit error and correct their mistakes.
An example of the importance of correcting the published record is the Cha/Wirth/Lobo study conducted at Columbia University and published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine in 2001. The study alleged to find that intercessory Christian prayer doubled the success of in-vitro fertilization. However, Rogerio Lobo, presented as the lead author, later acknowledged that he had nothing to do with the conduction of the study. His name was removed from the authors list in 2004.
But much worse than that, Daniel Wirth, who is not an MD and is not affiliated with Columbia University and who seems to be most responsible for the study results, was indicted by a federal grand jury and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. (See this excellent article by Bruce Flamm for all the details.) Essentially this study was conducted by a paranormal researcher with the resume of a con-artist.
And yet, the Journal of Reproductive Medicine has refused to admit error and retract the paper. It remains listed on PubMed, without any hint that the study has been seriously called into question.
They have published a clarification by the third author, Kwang Cha, who is digging in and defending the paper, writing:
This deliberate design constraint made it impossible for Mr. Wirth to have played any role in manipulating or altering the data.
I find it very difficult to believe that manipulation was “impossible.” I think Dr. Cha overestimates the ability to protect against deliberate fraud, and underestimates the cleverness of those who choose to commit fraud. Cha would have us believe that it is more likely he proved the efficacy of a miraculous intervention than that someone guilty of fraud may have committed fraud.
While this study has been scientifically discredited, it remains part of the published record and continues to be cited by supporters of the efficacy of prayer.
Conclusion
I applaud the Lancet for finally retracting the Wakefield study and removing it from the published record. It should not, however, have taken this long.
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I agree with President Obama; the U.S. Congress should repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell" and eliminate any federal prohibition on gay service.
The usual argument made for excluding gays from the military is that, because of anti-gay sentiment among some non-gay soldiers, the presence of gays might undermine cohesion and discipline. No evidence, however, supports this view; gays have served with minimal problems in numerous countries (e.g., Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland). The same arguments made against gays in the military were offered decades ago in the United States to oppose racial integration of the armed forces, yet these forces are now entirely integrated with minorities disproportionally represented.
Whether policy should compel the armed forces to allow gays to serve openly – or just leave the issue to the individual armed forces – is a more subtle question. A decentralized approach might lead to slower change, but it might also produce a less polarizing transition.
We've been through so many ups and downs with Pleo. We saw him crumble in the face of a battlebot. We cuddled him. We cried over his extinction. We rejoiced when he survived! And now, we choose his color.
It's an obvious campaign to remind people of the clever little tyke, but when it comes to the Pleo we don't mind playing into the hands of the marketing bods. Especially when you get to decide on what new color Pleo comes in!
I'm voting purple. Everyone knows dinosaurs are either green or purple. [Pleo World via CrunchGear]
Hi all
I am looking to a supplier of non-magnetisable wire 1.50 mm diameter to specification werkstoff no. 1.3962 (X 15 CrNiMn 12 10) or equivalent.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks
When Nokia announced free Ovi Maps for all, I was a bit ho-hum about it all. NOW I am excited. But not to the point where I'll actually buy a Nokia phone to play Ovi Maps Racing on, mind.
As the name suggests, the game actually uses real maps to race on, so you can fulfill those dreams of drag-racing through Manhattan or down Lombard Street, albeit virtually. It's compatible with Nokia Symbian^1 (S60 5th edition) phones, and is free. Certainly worth a download if you've got one of 'em. [Nokia via ElectricPig]
A whopping 40-megapixel beauty from Hasselblad has been outed before the official February 10th launch. At $19,995, it'll only be within arm's reach for a few people, though as you know they're a big name in the pro-photography world.
While full specs haven't been announced by Hasselblad yet for the H4D-40, we do know they're billing it as the "perfect entry point." There's a new True Focus AF system and Phocus 2.0 software for managing those all-important pics, and it comes with an 80mm lens and viewfinder.
We're expecting more info closer to the launch date, when it'll be shown off at the PMA show in Anaheim in just a couple of weeks' time. [Hasselblad via Let's Go Digital]
Alaska Gal says Perry's got the right liberty principles
Days after her endorsement of native Texan-turned-Kentuckian Rand Paul for US Senate, Sarah Palin is planning on giving her enthusiastic support to another libertarian-leaning Texan: Governor Rick Perry.
Palin and Perry will appear together for a campaign rally in Houston on Sunday, February 7.
On her Facebook page Gov. Palin wrote:
I look forward to helping Governors like Rick Perry in Texas... We will support these candidates and others so that they can continue to fight for our American values.
The commonsense conservative principles of liberty and fiscal responsibility are on the rise, and that's why I'm going out and campaigning as hard as I can to make a difference.
From his campaign website:
"I look forward to standing with Sarah to promote our shared conservative values of limited government, low taxes and individual freedom,": said Gov. Perry. "Gov. Palin is a true conservative leader whose priorities and message resonate with Texans, and I am honored to have her in Texas supporting my campaign."
State's rights enthusiast and Tea Party patriot Rick Perry has expanded his lead in the Texas Republican Primary over his nearest rival moderate-to-conservative Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. As little as two months ago, he had been behind Hutchison in some statewide polls by 4 to 5%.
According to Rasmussen:
Rick Perry 44%
Kay Bailey Hutchison 29%
Debra Medina 16%
Perry actually went up a point, while Hutchison dropped 4.
Rasmussen's analysis:
Incumbent Rick Perry's lead over Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has grown a little bigger in the race for this year's Republican gubernatorial nomination in Texas.
And even more good news for Perry:
Eighty percent (80%) of likely primary voters have a favorable opinion of Perry.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Texas GOP voters approve of the job Perry is doing as governor. That's up six points from a month ago.
Eine neu aufgelegte und aktualisierte Studie des Fraunhofer IAO, die im Auftrag des Hessischen Wirtschaftsministeriums erstellt wurde, zeigt die Innovationspotenziale der Nanotechnologie fuer Umwelttechnologien auf. Unternehmen bietet die Broschuere praktische Ansatzpunkte fuer einen Technologietransfer sowie eine Auflistung der wichtigsten Kontakte.
Materials that can produce electricity are at the core of piezoelectric research and the vision of self-powering machines and devices. Nanotechnology researchers are even pursuing nanopiezotronics devices that have the potential of converting biological mechanical energy, acoustic/ultrasonic vibration energy, and biofluid hydraulic energy into electricity, demonstrating a new pathway for self-powering of wireless nanodevices and nanosystems. In addition to miniaturizing piezoelectric devices down to the nanoscale, nanotechnology is also contributing to making next-generation devices more effective. Piezoelectric ceramics for instance generate electrical charge or voltage when they experience stress/strain, and thus are highly efficient at converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. However, ceramics are rigid, which greatly limits the applicability of the energy harvesting. Researchers have now demonstrated that high performance piezoelectric ceramics can be transferred in a scalable process onto rubber or plastic, rendering them flexible without any sacrifice in energy conversion efficiency.
The Shanghai-based synchrotron, which uses super-powerful X-rays to resolve the structure of matter down to the level of atoms, has detected evidence that acupuncture points differ from other parts of the body.
A lithographic approach based on evaporating solutions makes conducting networks of microwires for electronics.
Researchers have shown that even nanoscale modulations of the surface geometry can significantly influence a ferroelectric film's response to an applied electric field, yielding valuable information for the efficient design of nanotechnological devices based on such materials.
Micronics, Inc. today announced that it has been issued a second letters patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for an integrated heat exchange system on a disposable, plastic cartridge. The new patent has broad utility across the life sciences sector with particular application in point of care molecular diagnostics.
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