Radiation poses manned Mars dilemma

30 May 2013 Last updated at 15:26 ET

Nasa's Curiosity rover has confirmed what everyone has long suspected - that astronauts on a Mars mission would get a big dose of damaging radiation.

The robot counted the number of high-energy space particles striking it on its eight-month journey to the planet.

Based on this data, scientists say a human travelling to and from Mars could well be exposed to a radiation dose that breached current safety limits.

This calculation does not even include time spent on the planet's surface.

When the time devoted to exploring the world is taken into account, the dose rises further still.

This would increase the chances of developing a fatal cancer beyond what is presently deemed acceptable for a career astronaut.

Cary Zeitlin from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and colleagues report the Curiosity findings in the latest edition of Science magazine.

They say engineers will have to give careful consideration to the type of shielding that is built into a Mars-bound crew ship. However, they concede that for some of the most damaging radiation particles, there may be little that can be done to shelter the crew other than to get them to Mars and the partial protection of its thin atmosphere and rocky mass as quickly as possible.

At the moment, given existing chemical propulsion technology, Mars transits take months.

"The situation would be greatly improved if we could only get there quite a bit faster," Dr Zeitlin told BBC News.

"It is not just the dose rate that is the problem; it is the number of days that one accumulates that dose that drives the total towards or beyond the career limits. Improved propulsion would really be the ticket if someone could make that work."

New types of propulsion, such as plasma and nuclear thermal rockets, are in development. These could bring the journey time down to a number of weeks.

Curiosity travelled to Mars inside a capsule similar in size to the one now being developed to take astronauts beyond the space station to destinations such as asteroids and even Mars.

For most of its 253-day, 560-million-km journey in 2011/2012, the robot had its Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument switched on inside the cruise vessel, which gave a degree of protection.

RAD counts the numbers of energetic particles - mostly protons - hitting its sensors.

The particles of concern fall into two categories - those that are accelerated away from our dynamic Sun; and those that arrive at high velocity from outside of the Solar System.

This latter category originates from exploded stars and the environs of black holes.

These galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) impart a lot of energy when they strike the human body and will damage DNA in cells. They are also the most difficult to shield against.

Earth's thick atmosphere, its magnetic field and its huge rock bulk provide protection to people living on its surface, but for astronauts in deep space even an aluminium hull 30cm thick is not going to change their exposure to GCRs very much.

The RAD data revealed an average GCR dose equivalent rate of 1.84 milliSieverts (mSv) per day during the rover's cruise to Mars. (The Sievert is a standard measure of the biological impacts of radiation.) This dose rate is about the same as having a full-body CT scan in a hospital every five days or so.

Dr Zeitlin and his team used this measurement as a guide to work out what an astronaut could expect on a Mars mission, assuming he or she had a similarly shielded spacecraft, travelled at a time when the Sun's activity was broadly the same and completed the journey in just 180 days - Nasa's "design reference" transit time for a manned mission to Mars. They calculated the total dose just for the cruise phases to and from Mars to be 0.66Sv. The team promises to come back with the additional number from surface exposure once Curiosity has taken more measurements at its landing location on the planet's equator.

But even this 660mSv figure represents a large proportion of the 1,000mSv for career exposure that several space agencies like to keep their astronauts from approaching. Reaching 1,000mSv is associated with a 5% increase in the risk of developing a fatal cancer. There would likely be neurological impairment and eyesight damage as well.

This should be set against the dangers associated with space travel in general, such as launching on a rocket or trying to land on another planet. It is a dangerous business.

It also needs to be considered in the context of the risks of contracting cancer during a "normal" lifetime on Earth, which is about one-in-four (for a UK citizen).

The space agencies have quite deliberately set conservative limits for their astronauts and they would have to relax their rules somewhat or mitigate the risks in some other way to authorise a Mars mission.

However, the scenario for commercial ventures could be very different. Two initiatives - Inspiration Mars and Mars One - have been announced recently that propose getting people to Mars in the next 10 years using existing technologies.

Privateer astronauts that participate in these projects may regard the extra risks associated with radiation to be an acceptable gamble given the extraordinary prize of walking on the Red Planet.

Dr Kevin Fong is director of the Centre for Space Medicine at University College London, UK, and has written about the dangers associated with space exploration. He said that what Zeitlin and colleagues had done was help remove some of the uncertainty in the risk assessment.

"Radiobiology is actually really tricky because how the body will respond to exposure will depend on many factors, such as whether you're old or young, male or female," he told BBC News.

"What's important about this study is that it characterises the deep space radiation environment for the first time in a vehicle whose shielding is not orders of magnitude different from that which you would expect to put a human crew inside."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22718672#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Clear photos in dim light: New sensor a thousand times more sensitive than current camera sensors

May 30, 2013 ? Cameras fitted with a new revolutionary sensor will soon be able to take clear and sharp photos in dim conditions, thanks to a new image sensor invented at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

The new sensor made from graphene, is believed to be the first to be able to detect broad spectrum light, from the visible to mid-infrared, with high photoresponse or sensitivity. This means it is suitable for use in all types of cameras, including infrared cameras, traffic speed cameras, satellite imaging and more.

Not only is the graphene sensor 1,000 times more sensitive to light than current imaging sensors found in today's cameras, it also uses 10 times less energy as it operates at lower voltages. When mass produced, graphene sensors are estimated to cost at least five times cheaper.

Graphene is a million times smaller than the thickest human hair (only one-atom thick) and is made of pure carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure. It is known to have a high electrical conductivity among other properties such as durability and flexibility.

The inventor of the graphene sensor, Assistant Professor Wang Qijie, from NTU's School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, said it is believed to be the first time that a broad-spectrum, high photosensitive sensor has been developed using pure graphene.

His breakthrough, made by fabricating a graphene sheet into novel nano structures, was published this month in Nature Communications, a highly-rated research journal.

"We have shown that it is now possible to create cheap, sensitive and flexible photo sensors from graphene alone. We expect our innovation will have great impact not only on the consumer imaging industry, but also in satellite imaging and communication industries, as well as the mid-infrared applications," said Asst Prof Wang, who also holds a joint appointment in NTU's School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

"While designing this sensor, we have kept current manufacturing practices in mind. This means the industry can in principle continue producing camera sensors using the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) process, which is the prevailing technology used by the majority of factories in the electronics industry. Therefore manufacturers can easily replace the current base material of photo sensors with our new nano-structured graphene material."

If adopted by industry, Asst Prof Wang expects that cost of manufacturing imaging sensors to fall -- eventually leading to cheaper cameras with longer battery life.

How the Graphene nanostructure works

Asst Prof Wang came up with an innovative idea to create nanostructures on graphene which will "trap" light-generated electron particles for a much longer time, resulting in a much stronger electric signal. Such electric signals can then be processed into an image, such as a photograph captured by a digital camera.

The "trapped electrons" is the key to achieving high photoresponse in graphene, which makes it far more effective than the normal CMOS or CCD (charge-coupled device) image sensors, said Asst Prof Wang. Essentially, the stronger the electric signals generated, the clearer and sharper the photos.

"The performance of our graphene sensor can be further improved, such as the response speed, through nanostructure engineering of graphene, and preliminary results already verified the feasibility of our concept," Asst Prof Wang added.

This research, costing about $200,000, is funded by the Nanyang Assistant Professorship start-up grant and supported partially by the Ministry of Education Tier 2 and 3 research grants.

Development of this sensor took Asst Prof Wang a total of 2 years to complete. His team consisted of two research fellows, Dr Zhang Yongzhe and Dr Li Xiaohui, and four doctoral students Liu Tao, Meng Bo, Liang Guozhen and Hu Xiaonan, from EEE, NTU. Two undergraduate students were also involved in this ground-breaking work.

Asst Prof Wang has filed a patent through NTU's Nanyang Innovation and Enterprise Office for his invention.

The next step is to work with industry collaborators to develop the graphene sensor into a commercial product.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/technology/~3/dqD78w9QF7c/130530094624.htm

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People can 'beat' guilt detection tests by suppressing incriminating memories

May 29, 2013 ? New research published by an international team of psychologists has shown that people can suppress incriminating memories and thereby avoid detection in brain activity guilt detection tests.

Such tests, which are commercially available in the USA and are used by law enforcement agencies in several countries, including Japan and India, are based on the logic that criminals will have specific memories of their crime stored in their brain. Once presented with reminders of their crime in a guilt detection test, it is assumed that their brain will automatically and uncontrollably recognise these details, with the test recording the brain's 'guilty' response.

However, research by psychologists at the universities of Kent, Magdeburg and Cambridge, and the Medical Research Council, has shown that, contrary to this core assumption, some people can intentionally and voluntarily suppress unwanted memories -- in other words, control their brain activity, thereby abolishing brain activity related to remembering. This was demonstrated through experiments in which people who conducted a mock crime were later tested on their crime recognition while having their electrical brain activity measured. Critically, when asked to suppress their crime memories, a significant proportion of people managed to reduce their brain's recognition response and appear innocent.

This finding has major implications for brain activity guilt detection tests, among the most important being that those using memory detection tests should not assume that brain activity is outside voluntary control, and any conclusions drawn on the basis of these tests need to acknowledge that it might be possible for suspects to intentionally suppress their memories of a crime and evade detection.

Dr Zara Bergstrom, Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Kent and principal investigator on the research, said: 'Brain activity guilt detection tests are promoted as accurate and reliable measures for establishing criminal culpability. Our research has shown that this assumption is not always justified. Using these types of tests to say that someone is innocent of a crime is not valid because it could just be the case that the suspect has managed to hide their crime memories.'

Dr Michael Anderson, Senior Scientist at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, commented: 'Interestingly, not everyone was able to suppress their memories of the crime well enough to beat the system. Clearly, more research is needed to identify why some people were much more effective than others.'

Dr Anderson's group is presently trying to understand such individual differences with brain imaging.

Dr Jon Simons, of the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, added: 'Our findings would suggest that the use of most brain activity guilt detection tests in legal settings could be of limited value. Of course, there could be situations where it is impossible to beat a memory detection test, and we are not saying that all tests are flawed, just that the tests are not necessarily as good as some people claim. More research is also needed to understand whether the results of this research work in real life crime detection.'

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/jl6YWI5enqY/130529121101.htm

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Android chief not worried about Samsung clout, vows not to forget Motorola

By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A former Microsoft executive plans to create the first U.S. national marijuana brand, and said he is kicking off his Seattle-based business by acquiring medical cannabis dispensaries in three U.S. states. Jamen Shively, a former Microsoft corporate strategy manager, said he envisions his enterprise becoming the leader in both recreational and medical cannabis - much like Starbucks is the dominant name in coffee, he said. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/android-chief-not-worried-samsung-clout-vows-not-162548740.html

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CNN veteran Larry King to host Kremlin-funded TV show

MOSCOW (Reuters) - CNN veteran Larry King will host a new show on Kremlin-funded TV station Russia Today next month, RT said on Wednesday.

The English-language station, beamed to 630 million viewers worldwide, said it would launch "Politics with Larry King" in June.

The show will be produced by Ora TV, an online broadcaster founded by King and Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim last year, and recorded in RT America's Washington, DC, studio and Ora TV's Los Angeles studio.

RT said it also signed a deal to air the online talk show "Larry King Now", which has been hosted by web broadcasters Hulu.com and Ora.tv since last July. The U.S. branch will be the exclusive broadcaster for both programmes, it said.

"Whether a president or an activist or a rock star was sitting across from him, Larry King never shied away from asking the tough questions, which makes him a terrific fit for our network," said RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.

RT and Ora TV declined to comment on King's salary in the deal.

Russia Today - considered a Kremlin exercise in image enhancement by critics - received 11 billion roubles ($349 million) from the state this year. It signed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange last year to host his own talk show.

King, 79, ended a 25-year run as the host of "Larry King Live" on CNN in 2010. He had interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin several times over his 13-year rule.

RT also made headlines in 2011 when U.S. airports refused to put up one of its controversial advertisements.

The billboards comparing U.S. President Barack Obama and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a tagline asking, "Who poses the greater nuclear threat?" did appear at airports across Europe.

(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cnn-veteran-larry-king-host-kremlin-funded-tv-171012966.html

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11 Neil Gaiman Quotes on Writing | Mental Floss

Neil Gaiman is a prolific author spanning genres ? he has hits in the worlds of comics, young adult fiction, grownup fiction, television, film, and even nonfiction (I particularly enjoyed Don't Panic, his Douglas Adams/HHGTTG companion). Here, eleven quotes from Gaiman on writing.

1. On Nightmares

In an NPR feature, Gaiman discussed the stop-motion animated film Alice by Jan Svankmajer. In that interview, he made an important point for writers of stories for kids:

Kids are so much braver than adults, sometimes, and so much less easily disturbed. Kids will make their nightmares up out of anything, and the important thing in fiction, if you're giving them nightmares, is to demonstrate that nightmares are beatable.

Gaiman signing "Anansi Boys" / Flickr User Jutta

2. On Learning to Write as Adventure

From his now-famous 2012 commencement address at The University of the Arts:

I learned to write by writing. I tended to do anything as long as it felt like an adventure, and to stop when it felt like work, which meant that life did not feel like work.

Gaiman and His Wife Amanda Palmer / Getty Images

3. On Freelancing

More from the same commencement address:

When you start off, you have to deal with the problems of failure. You need to be thickskinned, to learn that not every project will survive. A freelance life, a life in the arts, is sometimes like putting messages in bottles, on a desert island, and hoping that someone will find one of your bottles and open it and read it, and put something in a bottle that will wash its way back to you: appreciation, or a commission, or money, or love. And you have to accept that you may put out a hundred things for every bottle that winds up coming back.

4. On "Impostor Syndrome"

One more nugget from that commencement address:

The problems of failure are hard.

The problems of success can be harder, because nobody warns you about them.

The first problem of any kind of even limited success is the unshakable conviction that you are getting away with something, and that any moment now they will discover you. It's Impostor Syndrome, something my wife Amanda christened the Fraud Police.

In my case, I was convinced that there would be a knock on the door, and a man with a clipboard (I don't know why he carried a clipboard, in my head, but he did) would be there, to tell me it was all over, and they had caught up with me, and now I would have to go and get a real job, one that didn't consist of making things up and writing them down, and reading books I wanted to read. And then I would go away quietly and get the kind of job where you don't have to make things up any more.

5. On Rejection

When asked about rejection on Tumblr, Gaiman replied:

First I got really grumpy, and then got very determined to write things that were so good that not even the stupidest most irritating gatekeeper alive could reject them.

Gaiman at the "Coraline" Premiere / Getty Images

6. On Smeagol/Gollum Slash Fiction

A fan wrote in to ask Gaiman whether he read fan fiction, what his favorite fan fiction was, and also what his opinion was on the usefulness of writing fan fiction. In other words, "Please tell me that fan fiction is good."

Gaiman's response is below, emphasis added to the portion in which he writes sample Smeagol/Gollum slash fiction. (For those who have forgotten their Lord of the Rings details, Smeagol was Gollum's Hobbit name and represents a second self in Gollum's subterranean monologues. And Wikipedia will educate you about slash fiction if you need a hand there.)

Er, no, I don't read fanfiction.

I think that all writing is useful for honing writing skills. I think you get better as a writer by writing, and whether that means that you're writing a singularly deep and moving novel about the pain or pleasure of modern existence or you're writing Smeagol-Gollum slash you're still putting one damn word after another and learning as a writer.

(I just made that up. I imagine it would go something like: "Oh, the preciouss, we takes it our handssses and we rubs it and touchess it, gollum....no, Smeagol musst not touch the preciousss, the master said only he can touch the precioussss.... bad masster, he doess not know the precious like we does, no, gollum, and we wants it, we wants it hard in our handses, yesss..." etc etc)

(Thanks to reader Cat Schaefer Pedini for pointing me to this gem.)

7. His New Year's Wish

At 10:08pm on December 31, 2012, Gaiman posted his New Year's Wish (emphasis added):

It's a New Year and with it comes a fresh opportunity to shape our world.

So this is my wish, a wish for me as much as it is a wish for you: in the world to come, let us be brave ? let us walk into the dark without fear, and step into the unknown with smiles on our faces, even if we're faking them.

And whatever happens to us, whatever we make, whatever we learn, let us take joy in it. We can find joy in the world if it's joy we're looking for, we can take joy in the act of creation.

So that is my wish for you, and for me. Bravery and joy.

(Thanks to reader Joseph Palreiro for posting this one!)

Gaiman accepts the Vonnegut Award / Flickr User dtd72

8. On Public Speaking

Writers are often called upon to speak in public. Gaiman recently posted six tips for speaking in public, but I'll just give you the first:

Mean it. Whatever you have to say, mean it.

Read the rest for helpful advice, especially the second point. I like to wing it, pseudo-bravely and joyously (see above).

9. Why You Shouldn't Do Creative Work Solely for Money

In an NPR interview promoting the book adaptation of his aforementioned commencement speech, Gaiman explained why doing creative projects just for money isn't worth it:

Whenever I did something where the only reason for doing it was money ? and this was a lesson that I learned beginning with being a 23-year-old author hired to write a book about Duran Duran ? that whenever I did something and the only reason for doing it was the money, normally something would go terribly wrong. And I normally wouldn't get the money and then I wouldn't have anything. Whereas, whenever I did anything where what prompted my doing it was being interested, being excited, caring, thinking this is going to be fun, even if things went wrong and I didn't get the money, I had something I was proud of. ...

It's something that, you know, I forget. Sometimes somebody waves a paycheck and I go, 'I don't really have any reason for doing it, I'm not interested. But, yes, what amazing money, how can I say no?' And then I do it, and then I regret it. And you can almost feel the universe itself sighing, like, 'Why doesn't he learn this one?'

Gaiman, Claire Danes, Charlie Cox at the "Stardust" Premiere / Getty Images

10. On Kidnapping His Favorite Authors

Here's a snippet from a CNN interview in 2001.

"When you're 11, walking home from school through this strange little English landscape, running these weird, wonderful things through your head ... well, now this is one of those 'I've never told anybody this before' things," Gaiman says conspiratorially, "but here we go:

"My worst fantasy was a really cool one. I got to kidnap all of the authors whose work I liked, living and dead ? I got to go 'round and round up G.K. Chesterton and Geoffrey Chaucer and all of these guys. Then I got to lock them in an enormous castle and make them collaborate on these huge-plot books. And I would tell them what the plots were.

"I was about 10 years old. And I plotted this 12-volume giant epic about these people going off to collect these rocks from all over the universe.

"As daydreams go, it says an awful lot about me as a young man: I wasn't confident enough about my ability to come up with stories. I was coming up with this huge, intricate story in order to justify in my daydreams of creating stories."

Gaiman and Palmer perform at SPIN's Liner Notes / Flickr User Zoe

11. On What Constitutes a Good Day

The original source of this one appears to be lost to history, but so it goes:

Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days nothing else matters.

More Gaiman

Neil Gaiman has an astonishingly comprehensive online presence. To get your fix, follow his very official Tumblr, his journal, his Twitter, and if you just like quotes, the fan Twitter account @GaimanQuotes is worth a shot. I'm also impressed by the fan-maintained Neil Gaiman Visual Bibliography, a comprehensive guide to basically everything he's ever put to paper.

Gaiman also has a lot of book releases this year. Just out this month are the book Make Good Art based on his commencement speech, plus the (free) short story How to Talk to Girls at Parties. In June we can look forward to The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The man is prolific, generous, and a damn fine writer ? thank you, Mr. Gaiman.

Source: http://mentalfloss.com/article/50759/11-neil-gaiman-quotes-writing

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Blackhawks win again to force Game 7 vs Red Wings

Chicago Blackhawks center Michael Frolik (67), of the Czech Republic, celebrates scoring a penalty shot goal against the Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard during the third period in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Detroit, Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Chicago Blackhawks center Michael Frolik (67), of the Czech Republic, celebrates scoring a penalty shot goal against the Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard during the third period in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Detroit, Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Chicago Blackhawks center Michael Frolik (67), of the Czech Republic, scores a penalty shot goal against the Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) during the third period in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Detroit, Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell (29) celebrates his goal on Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) during the third period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference semifinals in Detroit, Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) throws his stick as Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell (29) and teammates Jonathan Toews, hidden from view, Marian Hossa (81) of the Czech Republic, and Michal Rozsival (32) of the Czech Republic, celebrate Bickell's goal during the third period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference semifinals in Detroit, Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) is congratulated by Chicago Blackhawks center Patrick Sharp (10) after beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 after Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Detroit, Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

DETROIT (AP) ? Michael Frolik skated toward Jimmy Howard, faked a wrist shot and flipped a backhander into the net. Now it's on to Game 7.

Frolik's penalty shot proved to be the winning goal Monday night, giving the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 and forcing a deciding game between the Original Six rivals in their last Western Conference postseason series.

Frolik became first player in league history to score two goals on penalty shots in the playoffs.

"I was kind of surprised that I was the first one in history," Frolik said. "It's a little bit special."

He hopes his latest goal on a penalty shot in the playoffs helps the Blackhawks more than the previous one did. Frolik scored on a penalty shot on April 24, 2011 to pull Chicago into a third-period tie with the Vancouver Canucks, who went on to win the game.

Vancouver bounced back to beat the Blackhawks at home in overtime of that Game 7, handing them their first of two opening-round exits after they hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2010.

The NHL's top-seeded team hopes home ice is an advantage this time when its hosts seventh-seeded Detroit on Wednesday night in Game 7.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, are counting on playing with confidence after beating second-seeded Anaheim on the road in Game 7 of their first-round series.

"We've been there before," Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "Now, we just have to do that again."

Corey Crawford didn't let the Red Wings score again after allowing a fluttering puck to go from the top of the left circle, past his glove and into the net.

"I pretty much told myself it can't get any worse," Crawford said.

It did ? for Detroit.

The Blackhawks picked up their crestfallen goalie by scoring three times in the first half of the third period to win a second straight game after trailing 3-1 in the series, their last against Detroit because it will play in the East next season as part of the NHL's realignment plan.

"We've got that momentum," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "We want to keep it."

The Blackhawks seized it when Michal Handzus tied the game in the opening minute of the final period and kept it when Bryan Bickell scored about 5 minutes later.

Frolik's goal on a penalty shot at the 9:43 mark put the Blackhawks ahead 4-2 and silenced the once-raucous crowd.

Chicago needed that cushion because Damien Brunner scored with 52 seconds left to pull Detroit within one. The Red Wings pulled their goaltender, but they were unable to score with the extra skater.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, though, refused to sound disappointed that his team has failed on its first two chances to eliminate the Blackhawks.

"We've got a chance to push them out of the playoffs," Babcock said. "It should be a lot of fun."

The Blackhawks shifted the series back to Detroit with a 4-1 victory in Game 5, and then jumped in front on Marian Hossa's goal in the first period of Game 6. Patrick Eaves tied the game late in the first and Joakim Andersson put the Red Wings up 2-1 with a long wrister 10:11 into the second period.

Toews won the first faceoff against Henrik Zetterberg after the penalty was called, and ended up with an assist on Hossa's goalmouth scramble 3:53 into the game.

Eaves, who revived his career during the lockout-delayed season after having a concussion, scored for the first time this postseason off a rebound 18:51 into the first.

The Red Wings went ahead for the first time when Anderson had the puck, which was on edge, and flicked a wrist shot that Crawford couldn't handle.

"It was a knuckle-puck," Andersson said. "It's hard for the goalie to see those sometimes."

Crawford made 35 saves, while Howard stopped 24 shots for the Red Wings.

Chicago got to the front of Howard in the third period and it paid off.

Handzus was basically by himself when he scored 51 seconds into the third against a helpless Howard. Bickell wouldn't let Detroit defenseman Brendan Smith move him away from Howard before he scored the go-ahead goal, leading to Howard taking Smith's stick and throwing it into the corner.

Frolik's penalty try was awarded when he had a breakaway after blocking Carlo Colaiacovo's shot and was hacked by him from behind.

"I've got nothing to say about that," Howard said when asked about the call that gave Chicago a penalty shot.

Howard had a lot to say during the game about it, screaming at an official while the Blackhawks celebrated a comeback that was made possible by supporting players.

Frolik scored just three goals during the lockout-shortened season and had five last year, tying him for 13th on the team in scoring each time.

"There's not a lot of room out there for top guys," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "We don't care who scores. We're all about being a team and contributing any way you can."

NOTES: The Blackhawks won one or fewer series the previous three times they led the NHL in points. ... Quenneville earned his 79th playoff win to break a tie with Babcock for the most by an active coach and move past Pat Burns into eighth place on the league's all-time list.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-28-HKN-Blackhawks-Red-Wings-Folo/id-5986b877ba6d42b694af2eee28f01ce9

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S.Africa's rand down nearly 1 pct, bonds sold

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand fell against the dollar early on Tuesday and was likely to stay under pressure with market players anticipating weak economic growth data later in the session.

The rand gave up 0.8 percent from its previous close to trade at 9.67, not far off a its next support level at 9.70.

The currency has been trading in a narrow band set last week when it last tested four-year lows just shy of 9.70.

Economic growth data for the first quarter of the year is due at 0930 GMT and is expected to show GDP slowed compared to last year.

Market players have priced in negative news, meaning the rand could hold below the 9.70 support level. However, the rand could push through a fresh four-year low if simmering labour tensions escalate.

Labour unions in South Africa's mining sector are in wage negotiations with employers, with outcomes are expected in the next month.

Foreigners have lately dumped local bonds, tracking U.S. Treasuries and out of fears that South Africa's credit rating could be at risk of a downgrade because of the tense labour situation.

Bond yields were higher, with the 2026 benchmark bond yield up 6 basis points to 7.13 percent, a level from April 5.

"Local structural issues have seen a selling trend in the bond market soldier on, which is of some concern going into this morning's auction," Thando Vokwana, a bond dealer for Rand Merchant Bank, said in a note to investors.

Treasury is selling 2.35 billion rand in the 2023, 2026 and 2031 paper at a weekly auction. Results are due after the auction closes at 0900 GMT.

"It seems more than likely that the market will see slightly elevated clearing yields yet again, while primary markets struggle to garner offshore support," Vokwana added.

Offshore accounts sold 1.7 billion rand in local debt last week, a trend that is expected to continue this week.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/africas-rand-down-nearly-1-pct-bonds-sold-065934280.html

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Down syndrome neurons grown from stem cells show signature problems

May 27, 2013 ? Down syndrome, the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, results from an extra copy of one chromosome. Although people with Down syndrome experience intellectual difficulties and other problems, scientists have had trouble identifying why that extra chromosome causes such widespread effects.

In new research published this week, Anita Bhattacharyya, a neuroscientist at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reports on brain cells that were grown from skin cells of individuals with Down syndrome.

"Even though Down syndrome is very common, it's surprising how little we know about what goes wrong in the brain," says Bhattacharyya. "These new cells provide a way to look at early brain development."

The study began when those skin cells were transformed into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can be grown into any type of specialized cell. Bhattacharyya's lab, working with Su-Chun Zhang and Jason Weick, then grew those stem cells into brain cells that could be studied in the lab.

One significant finding was a reduction in connections among the neurons, Bhattacharyya says. "They communicate less, are quieter. This is new, but it fits with what little we know about the Down syndrome brain." Brain cells communicate through connections called synapses, and the Down neurons had only about 60 percent of the usual number of synapses and synaptic activity. "This is enough to make a difference," says Bhattacharyya. "Even if they recovered these synapses later on, you have missed this critical window of time during early development."

The researchers looked at genes that were affected in the Down syndrome stem cells and neurons, and found that genes on the extra chromosome were increased 150 percent, consistent with the contribution of the extra chromosome.

However, the output of about 1,500 genes elsewhere in the genome was strongly affected. "It's not surprising to see changes, but the genes that changed were surprising," says Bhattacharyya. The predominant increase was seen in genes that respond to oxidative stress, which occurs when molecular fragments called free radicals damage a wide variety of tissues.

"We definitely found a high level of oxidative stress in the Down syndrome neurons," says Bhattacharyya. "This has been suggested before from other studies, but we were pleased to find more evidence for that. We now have a system we can manipulate to study the effects of oxidative stress and possibly prevent them."

Down syndrome includes a range of symptoms that could result from oxidative stress, Bhattacharyya says, including accelerated aging. "In their 40s, Down syndrome individuals age very quickly. They suddenly get gray hair; their skin wrinkles, there is rapid aging in many organs, and a quick appearance of Alzheimer's disease. Many of these processes may be due to increased oxidative stress, but it remains to be directly tested."

Oxidative stress could be especially significant, because it appears right from the start in the stem cells. "This suggests that these cells go through their whole life with oxidative stress," Bhattacharyya adds, "and that might contribute to the death of neurons later on, or increase susceptibility to Alzheimer's."

Other researchers have created neurons with Down syndrome from induced pluripotent stem cells, Bhattacharyya notes. "However, we are the first to report this synaptic deficit, and to report the effects on genes on other chromosomes in neurons. We are also the first to use stem cells from the same person that either had or lacked the extra chromosome. This allowed us to look at the difference just caused by extra chromosome, not due to the genetic difference among people."

The research, published the week of May 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was a basic exploration of the roots of Down syndrome. Bhattacharyya says that while she did not intend to explore treatments in the short term, "we could potentially use these cells to test or intelligently design drugs to target symptoms of Down syndrome."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/oDvMzhsq7NE/130527153656.htm

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Put A Nyan Cat (Or Any Other GIF) in Your Bike Spokes

Reflective clothing, flashing tails, and and a bright headlight are essential to riding your bike safely at night. Similarly, a pair of GIF-flashing Monkey Light Pros are essential to riding your bike at night?like a boss.

This currently-Kickstartered production utilizes a quartet of LED-impregnated bars that fit along the the spokes inside of your wheel. As the wheel spins, the bars rotate and generate the 256-color animated GIFs by exploiting the persistence of vision effect. This system also ingeniously incorporates a 2-axis accelerometer and four magnetic sensors to track rotational speed and direction, keeping your GIFs moving in the right direction in time with your pedaling (10 - 40 MPH).

Each unit weighs just 500 grams and fits on a 26 to 29 inch rim using the standard 32 or 36 spoke pattern. The system can load up to 1000 frames in a variety of media formats (JPG, GIF, PNG, AVI, MPEG, MOV, QT, FLV) onto a web-based playlist for display. Users can also download the Mac/Linux API to create custom light shows though the system comes preloaded with 10 animations. The integrated 7000mAh Li-ion battery supplies 3 - 8 hours of power at full brightness (up to 48 hours on lower settings).

The Kickstarter fund is $98k to its $180k goal with 54 days left. You can currently pick up a single light system with a $700 and a pair for $1400. They'll retail for $895 a pop if and when the program funds. [Kickstarter via Obvious Win]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/put-a-nyan-cat-in-your-bike-spokes-510156358

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FACT CHECK: Kerry dishes some iffy claims abroad (The Arizona Republic)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/308526308?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Communications Meme - StrawberrySingh.com | StrawberrySingh.com

(click here for raw shot)

For the past few weeks I?ve chosen somewhat difficult memes and for next week I have something really challenging planned. Therefore, I thought that this week I would keep it short and simple. I?m going to be nosy again and ask a series of questions about how you communicate and socialize inworld, I hope you guys participate.

Meme instructions: Copy and paste the following questions and answers into your post, delete my answers and input your own. All of your answers should reflect your activity within Second Life. Remember to leave your link in this meme?s comments so others can come by and read your answers as well!

1. Who did you speak to last inworld today? Harlow Heslop
2. Who has taught you most about SL? Probably Roosevelt Dagger and Catero Revolution
3. Who do you turn to for help? Zaara Kohime mostly however, I do want to add though that the people on my plurk timeline have also helped me tremendously over the years with finding things I need inworld, getting more information about SL, helping me decide on inworld purchases, etc?
4. Who is the most entertaining person on your friend list? Winter Jefferson
5. Do you speak to your SL friends outside of SL? I do, on social networks, via email and other chat/im programs such as gtalk and skype.
6. Are you part of a community or family inworld? No, I?m not. I used to be a regular/hostess at certain clubs back in 2007/2008 and had a group of people I used to hang out with on a regular basis but that sim is no longer and we?ve all seemed to have gone our separate ways. I?ve never been part of a family or roleplay community though.
7. Are you usually around a lot of people or do you spend most of your time alone inworld? I would say I am mostly alone (when I can be). However, I do spend a lot of time with clients as I have a few photoshoots each day. But I don?t consider that as socializing, just work. I do try to get as much alone time as possible though, as I like peace and quiet so I can concentrate on my pictures and blogging. I was a lot more open to being social earlier in my SL but lately I prefer to be on my own. I guess I like the solitude because I?m usually surrounded by my family in real life so SL to me is kind of an escape from people and things.

I know it?s rather strange of me to not be as social inworld, especially since SL is a virtual world where people go to be more social. But I guess I?m kind of over that aspect of it and I just want to focus on other things. I do try to participate with community projects and challenges though within the blogger community. One challenge that I am kind of looking forward to trying is the Avatar Blogger Month in June. You can check the iRez blog for all of the details about that and I hope you participate in it as well!

For this post I wanted to create a soft and peaceful image with a relaxed theme, because that?s what I crave in my virtual world. The pose and arbor in this picture are from this month?s Zodiac Gemini. The dress was at FaMESHed this month but now you can find it in the Zaara mainstore.

Please remember that you can participate in any of the memes at any time. You?ll find them all under my Blog Challenges category along with other memes and challenges I?ve done over the years.

Credits:
Skin: League Aria Golden -Special Edition -Chest C by Nena Janus
*Hair: ??D!va?? Hair ?Asami? (Type A)(Brown diamond) by Marisa Kira
*Dress: Zaara : [Mesh] Chaitra chiffon dress (S) *ivory* by Zaara Kohime
*Mesh Feet & Hands: SLink by Siddean Munro
Sandals: Slink Ilena Sandals Large White by Siddean Munro
*Pose: aDORKable Poses: Smart Pack by Adorkable Peapod (@ Zodiac Gemini)
*Arbor: *Solange!* Gemini Arbor by Solange by Solange Cerveau (@ Zodiac Gemini)
*Flowers: meadowWorks Opium Poppy Flowers Lots 01 by Garvie Garzo

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Source: http://strawberrysingh.com/2013/05/27/communications-meme/

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Errani advances on opening day at French Open

Italy's Sara Errani returns the ball to Arantxa Rus, of The Netherlands, during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, May 26, 2013 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Italy's Sara Errani returns the ball to Arantxa Rus, of The Netherlands, during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, May 26, 2013 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Italy's Sara Errani serves to Arantxa Rus, of The Netherlands, during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, May 26, 2013 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Arantxa Rus, of The Netherlands, returns the ball to Italy's Sara Errani during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, May 26, 2013 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS (AP) ? Barely an hour into the French Open, 2012 runner-up Sara Errani was into the second round.

The tenacious Italian beat Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-2 Sunday in the opening match on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Errani reached a Grand Slam final for the first time a year ago at Roland Garros, then lost to Maria Sharapova.

Now ranked a career-best No. 5, Errani dominated Rus from the baseline, won four games at love and advanced in 54 minutes. Rus, ranked 86th, double-faulted seven times and lost her 13th consecutive match on the WTA Tour.

Serena Williams and Roger Federer were among others on the first day's schedule. Play began under cloudy skies with the temperature in the mid-50s.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-26-TEN-French-Open/id-1f813242606847c5861a828cd0e0de9b

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French lesbian love story wins top prize at Cannes

By Belinda Goldsmith and Alexandria Sage

CANNES (Reuters) - An intimate lesbian love story by French director Abdellatif Kechiche won the top prize in Cannes on Sunday, and the film festival's director immediately urged the large crowds protesting against gay marriage in Paris to go and see it.

"La Vie d'Adele - Chapitre 1 & 2" (Blue is the Warmest Colour) was chosen from a field of 20 films exploring sex, violence and emotional anguish which were vying for the Palme d'Or, one of the most coveted film awards after the Oscars.

Critics picked the three-hour film as a possible winner at the 66th Cannes festival, but wondered if its explicit lesbian sex scenes - one lasting up to 10 minutes - would deter the jury deciding the awards led by U.S. filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

In an unusual move, Spielberg said the award would be shared between Kechiche and his two lead actresses Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux as they were central to the film's success.

"I think it will get a lot of play ... I think this film carries a very strong message, a very positive message," Spielberg told journalists. "It was the perfect choice between those two actresses and this incredible very sensitive and observant filmmaker."

Spielberg said he supported same-sex marriage, but downplayed any suggestion the award was to promote this cause.

Festival director Thierry Fremaux said the film was timely, as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris on Sunday to protest France's recent legalization of same-sex marriage.

"Everyone who is against same-sex marriage or love between two people of the same sex must see the film," he told Reuters.

Kechiche, a Tunisia-born actor who made his directorial debut in 2000, was virtually speechless as he accepted the award, which he dedicated to the youth of France and Tunisia who, during the Arab Spring, "wanted only to live, speak and love freely."

"La Vie d'Adele" is an emotional tale of love and sexuality centered on 15-year-old Adele (Exarchopoulos) and her lover Emma (Seydoux) that follows the course of their tumultuous relationship.

WORLD'S LARGEST

Critics had also considered as a forerunner "Inside Llewyn Davis" about a struggling New York folk singer by the American Coen brothers Ethan and Joel, which was named as runner-up.

The third prize went to Japanese director Kore-Eda Hirokazu for the baby-swapping drama "Soshite Chichi Ni Naru" (Like Father, Like Son) while the best director award went to Mexico's Amat Escalante for his brutal look at Mexico's drug war, "Heli".

American Bruce Dern, 76, won a best actor award in Alexander Payne's road trip film "Nebraska," beating out Michael Douglas, who was widely praised for his performance as flamboyant pianist Liberace in Steven Soderbergh's "Behind the Candelabra."

French actress Berenice Bejo ("The Artist") won the best actress award in Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's tense domestic drama "Le Passe" (The Past).

Before the ceremony, stars including Kim Novak and Laetitia Casta signed autographs and posed for photographers on the red carpet in blazing sunshine, a contrast to the festival's opening ceremony on May 15 when umbrellas took over in the rain.

The awards ended the 2013 edition of the world's largest film festival, where up to 40,000 film professionals also bought and sold titles on the bustling marketplace hidden away from the glitzy promotional circuit of parties and stunts.

(Editing by Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cannes-film-festival-draws-close-cliffhanger-ending-001538128.html

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Protesters across globe rally against Monsanto

People carry signs during a protest against Monsanto in Montpelier, Vt. on Saturday, May 25, 2013. Marches and rallies against seed giant Monsanto were held across the U.S. and in dozens of other countries Saturday. Protesters say they want to call attention to the dangers posed by genetically modified food and the food giants that produce it. Monsanto Co., based in St. Louis, said Saturday its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy. (AP Photo/Mark Collier)

People carry signs during a protest against Monsanto in Montpelier, Vt. on Saturday, May 25, 2013. Marches and rallies against seed giant Monsanto were held across the U.S. and in dozens of other countries Saturday. Protesters say they want to call attention to the dangers posed by genetically modified food and the food giants that produce it. Monsanto Co., based in St. Louis, said Saturday its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy. (AP Photo/Mark Collier)

Demonstrators hold signs reading in Spanish "Glyphosate = illness, disability, death," left, "Genocide concealed by agrochemicals in Argentina," second from left, and "Get out Monsanto from Argentina" near the offices of the U.S.-based company Monsanto in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2013. Activists are taking part in a global protest "March Against Monsanto" against the seed giant, demanding a stop to the use of agrochemicals and the production of genetically modified food. Protesters say genetically modified organisms can lead to serious health conditions and harm the environment. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

People chant and carry signs during a protest against Monsanto in front of the capitol building in Montpelier, Vt. on Saturday, May 25, 2013. Marches and rallies against seed giant Monsanto were held across the U.S. and in dozens of other countries Saturday. Protesters say they want to call attention to the dangers posed by genetically modified food and the food giants that produce it. Monsanto Co., based in St. Louis, said Saturday its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy. (AP Photo/Mark Collier)

A man with a cat on his shoulder wears a mask covered by the words in Spanish "Transgenic, cancer/death" as he protests the use of genetically modified food near the offices of U.S.-based seed giant Monsanto, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2013. Activists are taking part in a global protest "March Against Monsanto," demanding a stop to the use of agrochemicals and the production of genetically modified food, which according to them has harmful health effects, causing cancer, infertility and other diseases. Marches and rallies against seed giant Monsanto were held across the U.S. and in dozens of other countries Saturday. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Protesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said.

Organizers said "March Against Monsanto" protests were held in 52 countries and 436 cities, including Los Angeles where demonstrators waved signs that read "Real Food 4 Real People" and "Label GMOs, It's Our Right to Know."

Genetically modified plants are grown from seeds that are engineered to resist insecticides and herbicides, add nutritional benefits or otherwise improve crop yields and increase the global food supply.

Most corn, soybean and cotton crops grown in the United States today have been genetically modified. But critics say genetically modified organisms can lead to serious health conditions and harm the environment. The use of GMOs has been a growing issue of contention in recent years, with health advocates pushing for mandatory labeling of genetically modified products even though the federal government and many scientists say the technology is safe.

The 'March Against Monsanto' movement began just a few months ago, when founder and organizer Tami Canal created a Facebook page on Feb. 28 calling for a rally against the company's practices.

"If I had gotten 3,000 people to join me, I would have considered that a success," she said Saturday. Instead, she said an "incredible" number of people responded to her message and turned out to rally.

"It was empowering and inspiring to see so many people, from different walks of life, put aside their differences and come together today," Canal said. The group plans to harness the success of the event to continue its anti-GMO cause.

"We will continue until Monsanto complies with consumer demand. They are poisoning our children, poisoning our planet," she said. "If we don't act, who's going to?"

Protesters in Buenos Aires and other cities in Argentina, where Monsanto's genetically modified soy and grains now command nearly 100 percent of the market, and the company's Roundup-Ready chemicals are sprayed throughout the year on fields where cows once grazed. They carried signs saying "Monsanto-Get out of Latin America"

Monsanto Co., based in St. Louis, said that it respects people's rights to express their opinion on the topic, but maintains that its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy.

The Food and Drug Administration does not require genetically modified foods to carry a label, but organic food companies and some consumer groups have intensified their push for labels, arguing that the modified seeds are floating from field to field and contaminating traditional crops. The groups have been bolstered by a growing network of consumers who are wary of processed and modified foods.

The U.S. Senate this week overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization, a lobbying group that represents Monsanto, DuPont & Co. and other makers of genetically modified seeds, has said that it supports voluntary labeling for people who seek out such products. But it says that mandatory labeling would only mislead or confuse consumers into thinking the products aren't safe, even though the FDA has said there's no difference between GMO and organic, non-GMO foods.

However, state legislatures in Vermont and Connecticut moved ahead this month with votes to make food companies declare genetically modified ingredients on their packages. And supermarket retailer Whole Foods Markets Inc. has said that all products in its North American stores that contain genetically modified ingredients will be labeled as such by 2018.

Whole Foods says there is growing demand for products that don't use GMOs, with sales of products with a "Non-GMO" verification label spiking between 15 percent and 30 percent.

__

Online:

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/p/blog-page.html

http://www.facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonsanto

http://www.monsanto.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-05-25-Marching%20Against%20Monsanto/id-7916905ddd4b47a49e0b3b63ac5347fa

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Lee wins 1st LPGA Tour event in short week

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) ? A week like no other on the LPGA Tour ended with Ilhee Lee winning for the first time.

Lee made a clutch par putt to keep a one-shot lead, and then drilled a fairway metal onto the par-5 18th green to set up a two-putt birdie. She closed with a 5-under 42 on Sunday for a two-shot win over Irene Cho in the Bahamas LPGA Classic.

It was only fitting that the tournament ended in a downpour. Flooding earlier in the week left so much of the Ocean Club under water that the tour's best option was to shorten the course to 12 holes and play three rounds to reach the 36 holes required for an official event.

Lee birdied her first three holes and held her nerves until the end.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lee-wins-1st-lpga-tour-event-short-week-231043699.html

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Army suspends general due to allegations of misconduct (CNN)

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Two volcanoes erupting in Alaska: Scientists are monitoring and providing alerts on Pavlof and Cleveland volcanoes

May 24, 2013 ? Two of Alaska's most active volcanoes -- Pavlof and Cleveland -- are currently erupting. At the time of this post, their activity continues at low levels, but energetic explosions could occur without warning.

Located close to the western end of the Alaska Peninsula, Pavlof is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc, having erupted more than 40 times since the late 1700's.

Pavlof has been erupting since May 13, 2013, with relatively low-energy lava fountaining and minor emissions of ash, steam, and gas. So far, volcanic ash from this eruption has reached as high as 22,000 feet above sea level. The ash plume has interfered with regional airlines and resulted in trace amounts of ash fall on nearby communities. The ash plume is currently too low to impact commercial airliners that fly between North America and Asia at altitudes generally above 30,000 feet.

Cleveland, located on Chuginadak Island in the Aleutian Islands, is also one of Alaska's most persistently active volcanoes. It has exhibited some sign of unrest almost annually since the early 1980's, with at least 19 confirmed eruptive events since then.

The current episode of eruptive activity at Cleveland has been characterized by single, discrete explosions, minor ash emissions, and small flows of lava and debris on the upper flanks of the volcano. On several occasions, ash-producing explosions have occurred reaching as high as 35,000 feet.

A small lava dome formed in the summit crater of Cleveland volcano in late January, 2013. At that time, the dome was about 300 feet in diameter and remained that size until a brief eruption on May 4 explosively removed a portion of the dome. The presence of a lava dome increases the possibility of an explosive eruption, but it does not necessarily indicate that one will occur.

Start with Science

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for monitoring and issuing timely warnings of potential volcano activity. The USGS and its partners operate five volcano observatories, and monitoring of these two volcanoes is coordinated through the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO).

AVO is a joint program of the USGS, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.

Scientists at AVO were able to detect unrest at both Pavlof and Cleveland volcanoes that confirmed eruptive activity was occurring. AVO immediately sent notifications out to emergency-management authorities and those potentially affected.

When Will the Eruptions Stop?

Volcanic eruptions can last weeks to months, and sometime years, so the exact timing is unknown for when these two volcanoes will rest. AVO will continue to monitor them and provide updates in the event of future activity.

Detecting Signs of Unrest

Signs that the volcanoes were becoming restless were determined through a combination of monitoring data.

At Pavlof, a strong thermal signal was observed in satellite data at the summit that coincided with elevated seismic levels. Soon after these observations were made, more satellite data and pilot reports indicated that ash emissions were occurring.

At Cleveland volcano, explosions from the summit vent were detected by an infrasound array and seismic instruments on Umnak Island about 80 miles to the east, and later a thermal feature was observed at the summit in satellite imagery, which indicated hot material at or near the surface. The pressure sensors in the infrasound array pick up air waves generated by volcanic explosions. Because of the relatively slow speed of these waves, it took nearly 40 minutes to detect the explosion from that distance and issue an alert.

Ash Cloud Forecasts

AVO's analysis of the eruption, including the amount of ash and the duration of the explosive phases, are key inputs into the forecasts by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service (NWS) of where the ash cloud will form and drift. These forecasts by NWS are used by the aviation industry to avoid flying into the ash.

The USGS developed a new ash cloud dispersal and fallout tool -- a computer model known as Ash3d -- that is being employed by AVO. The tool details where, when, and the amount of ash fall that is expected to occur. This information helps guide decisions on whether planes can safely land or depart, health warnings, potential impacts to infrastructure, and even when ash will stop falling and cleanup can begin.

Monitoring Tools

Pavlof is monitored with on-the-ground seismic stations (although only three of the seven instruments are currently operational), satellite remote sensing, and web cameras operated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A regional infrasound network operated by the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute has also helped detect explosions from Pavlof and Cleveland volcanoes.

Cleveland does not have a local seismic network and is monitored using only distant seismic and infrasound instruments and satellite data. Without local seismic instrumentation, scientists cannot forecast eruptions and smaller eruptions can be missed, especially because in the Aleutians, clouds commonly obscure the volcanoes in satellite data.

Updated Alerts and Webcams

Visit the AVO website (http://avo.alaska.edu/) for updated alerts and activity reports on Pavlof (http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Pavlof.php) and Cleveland (http://avo.alaska.edu/activity/Cleveland.php) volcanoes. Virtually travel to these locations through an AVO webcam of Cleveland volcano (http://avo.alaska.edu/webcam/Cleveland.php) and a FAA webcam located in Cold Bay about 37 miles west of Pavlof (http://akweathercams.faa.gov/sitelist.php).

Alaska has 31% of all Active Volcanoes in the United States

Alaska's volcanoes make up about 31% of all active volcanoes in the United States. There are 52 that have been active within the last 10,000 years and can be expected to erupt again. At present, 28 are monitored with ground-based instrumentation, and all are monitored daily using satellite remote sensing.

See a full list (http://www.avo.alaska.edu/volcanoes/) of all volcanoes in Alaska and view an interactive map (http://www.avo.alaska.edu/map/index.php?monvolcs=on&othervolcs=on) of their location.

Although most of the volcanoes in Alaska are remote and not close to populated areas, millions of dollars of air freight and 20,000-30,000 people fly over active Alaskan volcanoes daily traveling between North America and Asia. In fact, the Anchorage International Airport is ranked the fifth busiest air cargo hub in the world based on tonnage. In addition to the threat that volcanic ash poses for aviation safety, the economic impacts due to disruption of air traffic can be substantial. One study estimated costs of five billion dollars from the week-long closure of European airspace caused by the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallaj?kull volcano in 2010.

USGS Science for Volcano Hazards

USGS science is helping keep what are natural events from turning into major disasters.

The United States has approximately 169 active volcanoes, and more than half of them could erupt explosively. When the violent energy of a volcano is unleashed, the results can be catastrophic. Lava flows, debris avalanches, and explosive blasts have devastated communities. Noxious volcanic gas emissions have caused widespread lung problems. Airborne ash clouds from explosive eruptions have caused millions of dollars damage, including causing engines to shut down in flight.

To keep communities safe, it is essential to monitor volcanoes so that the public knows when unrest begins and what hazards can be expected. USGS efforts have improved global understanding of how volcanoes work and how to live safely with volcanic eruptions.

The USGS Volcano Hazards Program (http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/) operates a total of five volcano observatories in cooperation with universities and state agencies. They are the Cascades Volcano Observatory, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, California Volcano Observatory, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and Alaska Volcano Observatory. USGS also monitors and reports on volcanoes in the northern Marianas Islands.

In April, 2013, AVO celebrated 25 years of monitoring and studying Alaska volcanoes.

Learn More

Find out about the National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) (http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/publications/2009/nvews.php), which is a proposed national-scale plan to ensure that volcanoes are monitored at appropriate levels given their associated threats.

Watch a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X64IhvYYlw) about USGS science on volcano hazards.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/Ylh9qmVdgkc/130524180252.htm

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Dozens Of Top E-Commerce Retailers Find It Pays To Put Customers' Instagram Photos On Their Sites

The ROI of social media is something of a black box for many e-commerce companies, but New York-based startup Olapic is beginning to change that. The company, which allows brands to collect user-generated photos from services like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to display on their own website, is now offering an analytics suite to help retailers and brands understand what content works and how it's affecting conversions.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ecOK1_synDs/

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