Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/plJ6DTr9iL8/nasa-finds-space-invaders-deep-in-the-cosmos
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Wednesday, March 6, 2013
NASA Finds Space Invaders Deep in the Cosmos
Working at the extreme edge of cosmic ice
Mar. 4, 2013 ? Behind locked doors, in a lab built like a bomb shelter, Perry Gerakines makes something ordinary yet truly alien: ice.
This isn't the ice of snowflakes or ice cubes. No, this ice needs such intense cold and low pressure to form that the right conditions rarely, if ever, occur naturally on Earth. And when Gerakines makes the ice, he must keep the layer so microscopically thin it is dwarfed by a grain of pollen.
These ultrathin layers turn out to be perfect for recreating some of the key chemistry that takes place in space. In these tiny test tubes, Gerakines and his colleagues in the Cosmic Ice Lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., can reproduce reactions in ice from almost any time and place in the history of the solar system, including some that might help explain the origin of life.
"This is not the chemistry people remember from high school," says Reggie Hudson, who heads the Cosmic Ice Lab. "This is chemistry in the extreme: bitter cold, harsh radiation and nearly non-existent pressure. And it's usually taking place in gases or solids, because generally speaking, there aren't liquids in interstellar space."
The Cosmic Ice Lab is one of a few laboratories worldwide where researchers have been studying the ultracool chemistry of cosmic ice. With its powerful particle accelerator, the Goddard lab has the special ability to mimic almost any kind of solar or cosmic radiation to drive these reactions. And that lets them dig deep to study the chemistry of ice below the surface of planets and moons as well as ice in space.
Recipe for disorder
In a vacuum chamber about the size of a lunchbox, Gerakines recreates a little patch of deep space, in all its extremes. He pumps out air until the pressure inside drops to a level a billion times lower than normal for Earth, then chills the chamber to minus 433 degrees Fahrenheit (15 kelvins). To get ice, all that remains is to open a valve and let in water vapor.
The instant the sprightly vapor molecules enter the chamber they are literally frozen in their tracks. Still pointing every which way, the molecules are transformed immediately from their gaseous state into the disorderly solid called amorphous ice. Amorphous ice is exactly the opposite of the typical ice on Earth, which forms perfect crystals like those that make up snowflakes or frost needles. These crystals are so orderly and predictable that this ice is considered a mineral, complete with a rating of 2.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness -- the same rating as a fingernail.
Though almost unheard of on Earth, amorphous ice is so widespread in interstellar space that it could be the most common form of water in the universe. Left over from the age when the solar system was born, it is scattered across vast distances, often as particles no bigger than grains of dust. It's also been spotted in comets and icy moons.
The secret to making amorphous ice in the lab, Gerakines finds, is to limit the layer to a depth of about half a micrometer -- thinner than a strand of spider's silk.
"Water is such a good insulator that if the ice gets too thick, only the bottom of the sample, closer to the cooling source, will stay sufficiently cold," says Gerakines. "The ice on top will get warm enough to crystallize."
The superthin ice can be spiked with all kinds of interesting chemicals found in space. One set of chemicals that Gerakines works with is amino acids, which are key players in the chemistry of life on Earth. Researchers have spent decades identifying a whole smorgasbord of amino acids in meteorites (including some involved in life), as well as one found in a sample taken from a comet.
"And because water is the dominant form of frozen material in the interstellar medium and outer solar system," says Gerakines, "any amino acids out there are probably in contact with water at some point."
For his current set of experiments, Gerakines makes three kinds of ice, each spiked with an amorphous form of an amino acid (either glycine, alanine or phenylalanine) that is found in proteins.
Gimme shelter
The real action begins when Gerakines hits the ice with radiation.
Earlier studies by other researchers have looked at ice chemistry using ultraviolet light. Gerakines opts instead to look at cosmic radiation, which can reach ice hidden below the surface of a planet or moon. To mimic this radiation, he uses a proton beam from the high-voltage particle accelerator, which resides in an underground room lined with immense concrete walls for safety.
With the proton beam, a million years' worth of damage can be reproduced in just half an hour. And by adjusting the radiation dose, Gerakines can treat the ice as if it were lying exposed or buried at different depths of soil in comets or icy moons and planets.
He tests the three kinds of water-plus-amino-acid ice and compares them to ice made from amino acids only. Between blasts, he checks the samples using a "molecular fingerprinting" technique called spectroscopy to see if the amino acids are breaking down and chemical by-products are forming.
As expected, more and more of the amino acids break down as the radiation dose adds up. But Gerakines notices that the amino acids last longer if the ice includes water than if they are left on their own. This is odd, because when water breaks down, one of the fragments it leaves behind is hydroxyl (OH), a chemical well-known for attacking other compounds.
The spectroscopy confirms that some OH is being produced. But overall, says Gerakines, "the water is essentially acting like a radiation shield, probably absorbing a lot of the energy, the same way a layer of rock or soil would."
When he repeats the experiments at two higher temperatures, he is surprised to find the acids fare even better. From these preliminary measurements, he and Hudson calculate how long amino acids could remain intact in icy environments over a range of temperatures.
"We find that some amino acids could survive tens to hundreds of millions of years in ice near the surface of Pluto or Mars and buried at least a centimeter [less than half an inch] deep in places like the comets of the outer solar system," says Gerakines. "For a place that gets heavy radiation, like Europa, they would need to be buried a few feet." (These findings were reported in the journal Icarus in August 2012.)
"The good news for exploration missions," says Hudson, "is it looks as if these amino acids are actually more stable than anybody realized at temperatures typical of places like Pluto, Europa and even Mars."
The Cosmic Ice Lab is part of the Astrochemistry Laboratory in Goddard's Solar System Exploration Division and is funded in part by the Goddard Center for Astrobiology and the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/OLZLpMMKxio/130304125844.htm
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Consider incorporating off-site duty into return-to-work programs ...
When workplace incidents occur and employees need to take time to heal from an injury, return-to-work programs play a major role in helping them recover and stay involved with the business.
According to SCF Arizona?s booklet,?Return to Work: Putting Modified Duty To Work For You, return-to-work initiatives can reduce a business? workers? compensation claims by 35 percent, cut 17 percent of lost workdays and decrease workers? compensation coverage costs by 45 percent over the course of four years.
When injured employees are working, they?re less likely to access unnecessary medical care, which reduces healthcare expenses. In addition, keeping workers involved helps them retain engagement levels and understand that their employer cares about their health.
Return-to-work programs are designed to alter employees? tasks or give them new temporary duties that accommodate their injury. Progressively, workers can take on more or different responsibilities and eventually return to their original position.
Off-site transitional work
While return-to-work programs are extremely effective, they may be somewhat challenging to implement for businesses in manufacturing or construction, in which the majority of labor involves physical movements like lifting, a commonly restricted activity for injured workers.
To help workers in these sectors, employers should consider the benefits of off-site transitional duty. Businesses that revolve around manual labor can partner with nonprofit organizations to provide injured employees with temporary work.
Rebecca Shafer, the president of a risk management software company, explains that employers can work with employment agencies to place employees in a?charitable organization for a defined amount of time. Business owners can also work directly with the nonprofit. Entities like the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Goodwill, American Heart Association and Habitat for Humanity often accept volunteers who are paid by their employer.
While the employer may not have much work to give his or her injured worker, these organizations can accommodate employees? needs by assigning them tasks like data entry, taking inventory and administrative work that requires little physical exertion, Shafer explains.
Like all return-to-work programs, off-site work should have a defined schedule, including set start and expected end dates. In addition, employers should ensure employees? tasks are evolving as they recover.
Benefits for employers and employees
There are many benefits associated with incorporating a nonprofit partnership into a business? return-to-work program. First, employees who take on light work during their recovery tend to heal faster than those who do not work until they are fully recovered, according to Shafer.
During tax season, employers can deduct the worker?s salary as a charitable donation.?In addition, supporting a nonprofit organization is a great way to boost business reputation. as consumers admire companies that show their support for a good cause.
Meanwhile, employees can continue receiving their regular salary instead of a workers? compensation payment as they heal. They can also maintain positive levels of activity and self-esteem and benefit from a sense of accomplishment after performing goodwill tasks. In addition to avoiding deconditioning, employees can also gain new skills and further develop their professional talent.
Return to Work: Putting Modified Duty To Work For You, is available online at scfaz.com. Just click on ?Safety,? then ?Resources? and ?Helpful Resources.?
Source: http://www.safeatworkaz.com/?p=1276
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Fujitsu launches three new Lifebook E series laptops, we go hands-on
We may not love the austere devices that are foisted upon us for our daily 9-to-5, but at least Fujitsu's trying to make our late-night commutes a little less unpleasant. The company has outed a trio of 20mm-thick Lifebook E series laptops that hover just outside the entrance to Intel's exclusive Ultrabook club. The first to try its luck with the guest list is the 13.3-inch E733, weighing in a 1.7kg with a screen resolution of 1,366 x 768. If that doesn't succeed, then perhaps the 14-inch E743, with its 1.9kg body and 1,600 x 900 screen might get past. Of course, bringing up the rear is the 15.6-inch E753, which weighs 2.1kg and a choice of 1,366 x 768 or 1,920 x 1,080 displays -- but since none of them meet Intel's latest mandated requirements to bear the Ultrabook name, it's highly unlikely they'll be let in. Naturally, as we're here at CeBIT, we indulged in our favorite hobby, which is smearing our paws all over this hardware to bring you our first impressions.
Filed under: Laptops
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/04/fujitsu-e-line-cebit/
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Njideka U. Harry: Driven by Passion
I founded Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) over a decade ago while working in the Corporate Strategy group at Microsoft. I felt a constant thirst to give back and make a difference in the world, no matter how small. I am passionate about technology, in particular the opportunities it affords to people in developing world communities. Born to educators and having been raised in a developing country, I could not help but notice how far behind I was in terms of technology and its application in education from my 'digital peers' in the U.S. I felt compelled to make a difference for others who might otherwise never have the opportunities that I did.
YTF's programs encourage participants to think about issues affecting their communities and the different ways in which tools, like technology, can be applied to solve those issues. YTF Academy strengthens young people's abilities to meet their own subsistence needs and helps prevent vulnerabilities to economic, political and socially unstable environments. In Nigeria, where YTF pioneered the Digital Village movement with the establishment of the Owerri Digital Village, youth contribute an incredible 80 percent to the GDP. As an advocate for community technology, YTF works with local actors, government, academia, private sector, and grassroots organizations to ensure marginalized youth in the developing world have the right opportunities to unlock their potential and improve their standard of living.
YTF's primary market is the 1.7 billion youth, aged 19 to 24, of which 86 percent live in developing countries. We understand that our beneficiaries are not the problem but rather they are part of the solutions we co-develop. Working collaboratively with youth to develop best-fit and needs-driven programs in their communities creates true transformation. This is the core of the work at YTF -- we know that the best way to lead people is by serving them. At YTF, we employ people from the local communities we work in and together we live by the mission of the organization.
Social entrepreneurs are a unique population -- we're driven by passion, not profit. We're not satisfied until we become a part of the change we wish to see, but also understand that change does not happen overnight. We're willing to work on whatever the conviction is for the long haul -- with integrity and authenticity. These values, which acknowledge that you have both potential and shortcomings, are integral to the process of creating change in the world.
I am humbled by my selection as Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation, in the knowledge that this recognition is not about my achievements, but rather about the incredible work of the YTF and the inspiring beneficiaries we have served over the last 12 years. I look forward to the opportunity of collaborating with other top leaders from civil society, public, and private sectors to accelerate the inspiring social impact already happening across the globe. Together, we can and we will make a difference.
Njideka U. Harry, Founder and Chief Executive, Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF), Nigeria; Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2013.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in recognition of the latter's Social Entrepreneurs Class of 2013. For more than a decade, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship has selected leading models of social innovation from around the world. Today we have 254 from nearly 60 countries, covering renewable energy and sanitation to job training and access to higher education. Follow the Schwab Foundation on Twitter at @schwabfound or nominate a Social Entrepreneur at http://www.schwabfound.org/sf/index.htm. To see all the post in the series, click here.
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Follow Njideka U. Harry on Twitter: www.twitter.com/youthfortech
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Gizmodo gets their own TV show
I’m always scouring DirecTV’s programming guide for TV shows with gadget content. Lately pickings have been slim with my only weekly fix being ABC’s Shark Tank. That’s why I’m really excited to find out that the uber popular gadget news site Gizmodo will be premiering “Gizmodo: The Gadget Testers,” on Monday, March 18th, 2013 at [...]
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/03/04/gizmodo-gets-their-own-tv-show/
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Buffett not worried sequester will hurt recovery
Warren Buffett still sees "good value" in stocks, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average approaches an all-time high.
On CNBC's Squawk Box, Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway is still buying stocks, even though prices have increased.
"Anything I bought at $80 I don't like as well at $100. But if you're asking me if stocks are cheaper than other forms of investment, in my view the answer is yes. We're buying stocks now. But not because we expect them to go up. We're buying them because we think we're getting good value for them."
Buffett isn't too worried that the automatic government spending cuts known as the sequester will slow down the U.S. economy too much.
"We're continuing to see a slow recovery," he said. "It hasn't taken off, but it hasn't stopped either."
Buffett said that while the sequester will reduce the government's stimulus of the economy by cutting back on the deficit the remaining spending is still providing the economy a lot of "juice."
"It's not galloping at all, but we are making progress bit by bit. Everybody would love to see it faster. But it's not going into reverse and I do not think the sequester will cause it to go into reverse."
Buffett said the sequester could go on "for quite a while." He thinks, however, that once the American people see the results of its "meat ax" approach, there will be an opportunity to make more considered spending cuts.
Buffett remains confident, however, that Washington's red ink will be reduced. "We're going to bring down spending. We're going to bring up revenues. We may get there in fits and starts. And everybody may scream each time we do it. But the deficit is going to come down. It needs to come down."
More from CNBC: Berkshire Hathaway's 15 biggest stock holdings
Buffett has "enormous respect" for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, but thinks it will be interesting to see what happens when the Fed begins to unwind its efforts to keep interest rates very low. He said that rates near zero have pushed stocks higher than they would have gone otherwise and the global markets are on a "hair trigger," looking for any sign the central bank may start raising rates.
"I think the Fed will try to give little signals here and all of that. But in the end, there are an awful lot of people who want to get out of a lot of assets if they think the Fed is going to tighten a lot."
The results of higher rates, he said, "will be very noticeable" in the markets.
Will the Fed's action affect Berkshire's decisions? No, said Buffett, pointing out that in all the years he's worked with partner Charlie Munger, they've never had a conversation about macroeconomics when deciding whether or not to buy a company.
"In terms of whether to buy Oriental Trading today or pass, whether to buy Heinz today or see, we do not get into macroeconomic discussions at all. Everybody thinks we do."
For him, price is the main consideration because it "takes care of the future."
Buffett joked that while he got a business he likes, and a partner he likes (3G Capital), in the $23 billion acquisition of H.J. Heinz, he "barely liked" the price and wouldn't have made the deal if 3G founder Jorge Paulo Lemann wasn't involved. "We get terrific management," he said, with 3G running Heinz. It's a long-term deal, said Buffett. "We hope to own Heinz 100 years from now."
Buffett said unusual options activity the day before the Heinz deal was announced was "clearly insider trading" and he's confident the SEC will "nail that guy." He noted that while Berkshire works very hard to keep upcoming deals secret, there were several investment banks and others involved in the negotiations, making a leak more likely.
? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved
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