VIDEO: Compression causes nanotubes to buckle and twist and eventually to lose atoms from their lattice-like structure. Click here for more information. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A pipefitter knows how to make an exact cut on a metal rod. But it's far harder to imagine getting a precise cut on a carbon nanotube, with a diameter 1/50,000th the thickness of a human hair. In a paper published this month in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society ...

MANHATTAN, KAN. -- Two Kansas State University researchers focusing on rice genetics are providing a better understanding of how pathogens take over a plant's nutrients. Their research provides insight into ways of reducing crop losses or developing new avenues for medicinal research. Frank White, professor of plant pathology, and Ginny Antony, postdoctoral fellow in plant pathology, are co-authors, in partnership with researchers at three other institutions, of an article in a recent issue of the journal Nature. The article, "Sugar transporters for intercellular exchange ...

Like a fence or barricade intended to stop unwanted intruders, the skin serves as a barrier protecting the body from the hundreds of allergens, irritants, pollutants and microbes people come in contact with every day. In patients with eczema, or atopic dermatitis, the most common inflammatory human skin disease, the skin barrier is leaky, allowing intruders – pollen, mold, pet dander, dust mites and others – to be sensed by the skin and subsequently wreak havoc on the immune system. While the upper-most layer of the skin – the stratum corneum – has been pinned as the ...

50 million years ago, mountains began popping up in southern British Columbia. Over the next 22 million years, a wave of mountain building swept (geologically speaking) down western North America as far south as Mexico and as far east as Nebraska, according to Stanford geochemists. Their findings help put to rest the idea that the mountains mostly developed from a vast, Tibet-like plateau that rose up across most of the western U.S. roughly simultaneously and then subsequently collapsed and eroded into what we see today. The data providing the insight into the mountains ...

Computer games and simulations are worthy of future investment and investigation as a way to improve science learning, says LEARNING SCIENCE: COMPUTER GAMES, SIMULATIONS, AND EDUCATION, a new report from the National Research Council. The study committee found promising evidence that simulations can advance conceptual understanding of science, as well as moderate evidence that they can motivate students for science learning. Research on the effectiveness of games designed for science learning is emerging, but remains inconclusive, the report says.### The report is available ...

Our flawed understanding of how decisions in the present restrict our options in the future means that we may underestimate the risk associated with investment decisions, according to new research by Dr Ole Peters from Imperial College London. The research, published today in the journal Quantitative Finance, suggests how policy makers might reshape financial risk controls to reduce market instability and the risk of market collapse. Investors know that there are myriad possibilities for how a financial market might develop. Before making an investment, they try to capture ...

Rapid turnover and remodelling of lipid membranes could help phytoplankton cope with nutrient scarcity in the open ocean. A team led by Patrick Martin of the National Oceanography Centre has shown that a species of planktonic marine alga can rapidly change the chemical composition of its cell membranes in response to changes in nutrient supply. The findings indicate that the process may be important for nutrient cycling and the population dynamics of phytoplankton in the open ocean. Tiny free-floating algae called phytoplankton exist in vast numbers in the upper ocean. ...

Sociologists have long known that a college education improves the chances that an individual will volunteer as an adult. Less clear is whether everyone who goes to college gets the same boost in civic engagement from the experience. In an innovative study that compared the volunteering rates of college graduates with those of non–college graduates with similar social backgrounds and high school achievement levels, UCLA sociologist Jennie Brand found something striking: A college education has a much greater impact on volunteering rates among individuals from underprivileged ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- University at Buffalo neuroscience researchers conducting basic research on ion channels have demonstrated a process that could have a profound therapeutic impact on pain. Targeting these ion channels pharmacologically would offer effective pain relief without generating the side effects of typical painkilling drugs, according to their paper, published in a recent issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. "Pain is the most common symptom of injuries and diseases, and pain remains the primary reason a person visits the doctor," says Arin Bhattacharjee, PhD, ...

With frigid temperatures already blanketing much of the United States, the arrival of the winter solstice on December 21 may not be an occasion many people feel like celebrating. But a dazzling total lunar eclipse to start the day might just raise a few chilled spirits. Early in the morning on December 21 a total lunar eclipse will be visible to sky watchers across North America (for observers in western states the eclipse actually begins late in the evening of December 20), Greenland and Iceland. Viewers in Western Europe will be able to see the beginning stages of ...

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is allowing researchers to create the most precise and complete map to date of the moon's complex, heavily cratered landscape. "This dataset is being used to make digital elevation and terrain maps that will be a fundamental reference for future scientific and human exploration missions to the moon," said Dr. Gregory Neumann of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "After about one year taking data, we already have nearly 3 billion data points from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter on board the LRO spacecraft, with near-uniform ...

NASA's Aqua satellite captured a series of images from its Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument over the last two days and saw the low pressure area known as System 91S make landfall in Australia. System 91S may not have become a tropical depression, but it's dropping heavy rainfall in Western Australia. NASA's AIRS infrared instrument showed System 91S's center making landfall on Dec. 16 at 0647 UTC (1:47 a.m. EST) near the town of Carnavon in Western Australia. At that time, there was a large area of strong thunderstorms around the center of circulation, ...

The controversy surrounding whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks along with its creator Julian Assange continues to gain momentum as liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans have joined together in one voice to condemn the most recent leaks that Senator Diane Feinstein has described as "a serious breach of national security and could be used to severely harm the United States and its worldwide interests." If you're looking to score popularity points in Washington now is the time to jump on the anti-Assange bandwagon and condemn the Aussie for his complicity in weakening ...

The Louisiana plastic surgeons of The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery (www.wallcenter.com) note a surge in the number of patients who have turned to them for corrective surgery after undergoing laser liposuction from plastic surgeons and unqualified physicians alike. While liposuction has gained acceptance and popularity with a constant stream of technological advances since its inception in the late 1970s, not all treatments and providers will be able to deliver the results patients seek. "Many doctors are expanding into services they were never trained to perform, ...

Park West Gallery, now in its 42nd year as a leading fine art dealer, recently curated a landmark retrospective featuring never-before-seen artwork by four world-renowned artists -- Yaacov Agam, Robert Kipniss, Csaba Markus and Igor Medvedev. The retrospective was unveiled before one hundred Park West Gallery VIP collectors aboard the Norwegian EPIC cruise ship, during its December 4-11, 2010 sailing. Original paintings, one-of-a-kind drawings and limited-edition graphic works were released from the archives and offered for sale. Hosted aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's ...

Chief Outsiders, a Houston-based company that provides executive-level Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) to businesses on a fractional basis, has expanded from Florida to New York to meet market demand of growth and mid-sized companies. Joseph P. Grace, Robert J. Donaldson and Robert G. Derr, senior marketing executives and business growth leaders in the areas of health information and products, technology, analytical instrumentation, software and financial services, have joined the Chief Outsiders team. "As Chief Outsiders CMOs, these senior marketing executives will ...

Carrentals.co.uk, the UK's leading price comparison website is advising all winter holiday makers ensure that winter tyres and snow chains are included in their car hire deal when booking in advance to ensure the best prices and utmost safety. Winter tyres and snow chains are usually charged in addition to vehicle rental by most of the car hire companies and problems often occur because many car hirers at ski destinations assume that they will be included in the deal. This means that car rental companies can face a lack of availability and skiers may find that last ...

The Childhood Health Care Best Practice and Quality Assurance Conference has been scheduled to take place from the 25th to 28th January. The amount of prospective conference speakers and participants may result in a high demand of hotel in Sharm El Sheikh. Speakers at the conference will update their peers with any new developments in treating common children's ailments such as measles, chickenpox, the flu, fevers and constipation. Diet experts will give advice relating to food intake that will try and cut down on the wave of teenagers with obesity, as well as regimes ...

AdoreStudio is a fast-growing game developer with highly placed objectives. The company has just published their website www.AdoreGames.com, however, a new design and a wider range of freshly-developed games which will possibly be free are going to bring a bunch of useful options for the game lovers. AdoreStudio has entered the market with the main principle that whatever game is being played, it must be enjoyable for the user. Thus the company has sorted out the games which possess the following characteristics: user-friendly interface and high quality. These characteristics ...

Milan/Paris-based photographer and writer Enzo Dal Verme (he has shot for Vanity Fair, l'Uomo Vogue, Marie Claire, Grazia, Elle, Panorama, etc.) has decided to reveal some of his shooting tricks for an inside look at the world of reportages. His unique manual is now available to the general public. What's behind the power of a reportage? After spending over a decade traveling all around the world capturing the essence of moments with his camera, photographer Enzo Dal Verme felt it was time to reveal some tricks of the trade. The brand new manual covers a variety ...

Anyone with a love for classic theatre should be sure not to miss the annual Sydney Shakespeare Festival. The event, which runs from January 6th to February 27th 2011, will see the organisers put on the Bard's famous plays A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet. These will be performed on concurrent nights, with each set to take to the stage 16 times throughout the course of the festival. Describing the first of these two works, the team behind the occasion said audience members can expect to witness a romantic comedy that contains "whopping doses of whimsy, ...

Country music icon Kenny Rogers is heading to Melbourne next month to kick off his latest Australian tour. The multi-Grammy Award winner will be playing at the Victorian capital's Regent Theatre for one night only on January 25th 2011, which is sure to encourage his fans to book some of the accommodation Melbourne CBD has available for the show. Fans will no doubt be hoping to hear Rogers perform some of his best-known hits, including Islands in the Stream - originally sung with fellow country superstar Dolly Parton - plus the likes of The Gambler and Through the ...

The cold snap which has accompanied British winter time for the past few years has arrived early this year, as we have just experienced the coldest November for many years. For some though, the blustering snow winds and icey terrain merely makes up part of the challenge, as Britain's most enthused outdoors folk took to the hills with their sledges, skis and walking boots. With the snow and slightly more treacherous conditions becoming so regular, it is increasingly a standard requirement to ensure you are kitted out for some extremities. On hand to help and just in ...

With only a few more sleeps to go until Christmas day and the arctic weather engulfing much of the UK, there is a definite festive feeling in the air. With spirits usually set to 'high' this time of year, its important the freezing temperatures don't impact mood or productivity. It can be difficult getting out of bed when it's dark outside and tricky to stay warm through the day, but there are ways to help yourself, says eBrookes.co.uk founder Ian Brookes. eBrookes.co.uk has been providing quality and affordable work wear for over 10 years, and this time of year Brookes ...

Queensland's Music By The Sea festival will celebrate its ninth year when it takes place next month. The outdoor event will be held on January 7th and 8th 2011 at Einbunpin Lagoon Park in Sandgate, around a 30-minute drive from a number of Brisbane hotels. Plenty of emerging acts from local areas and interstate will be playing at this year's edition, which kicks off on the opening night with a special free-to-attend opening ceremony featuring performances from Geoffrey Fabila and Samjjana. This event is due to start at 19:30 local time, followed at 20:00 by a DJ ...