All posts from Last Month
- May 26, 2013
- 11:30 PM
- 55 views
Distributed computation in foraging desert ants
by Artem Kaznatcheev in Evolutionary Games Group
For computer scientists, ants are most familiar from ant colony optimization. These algorithms rely on simulating how ants lay, follow, and modify pheromone trails to find efficient paths from their hives to food sources. Hence, it might come as a surprise that this is not a universal feature of ants. The cataglyphis niger desert ant […]... Read more »
Feinerman, O., & Korman, A. (2012) Memory Lower Bounds for Randomized Collaborative Search and Implications to Biology. 26th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-33651-5_5
- May 26, 2013
- 09:55 PM
- 38 views
Forefoot, rearfoot or YOUR-foot strike?
by Emilie Reas in Runner's Rationale
At your next 10k or marathon, take a moment to observe the feet of the passing herd and you’ll note one commonality: most runners – nearly 90% 1 - will contact the ground with their heel first. But like your mother said, just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you should too! In fact, … Continue reading »... Read more »
Enders H, von Tscharner V, & Nigg BM. (2013) The effects of preferred and non-preferred running strike patterns on tissue vibration properties. Journal of science and medicine in sport / Sports Medicine Australia. PMID: 23642961
- May 26, 2013
- 06:09 PM
- 61 views
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Untrue
by Grace Lindsay in Neurdiness
This is a piece about the present state, and potential future, of fraud in scientific research which I wrote for a Responsible Conduct in Research course taught at Columbia. There seems to be a trend as of late of prominent scientific researchers been outed for fabrications or falsifications in their data. Diederik Stapel’s extravagant web of […]... Read more »
Van Noorden, R. (2011) Science publishing: The trouble with retractions. Nature, 478(7367), 26-28. DOI: 10.1038/478026a
- May 26, 2013
- 06:47 AM
- 80 views
Nearly 40% of medical students are unaware of their anti-fat bias
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers have found that nearly two out of five medical students have an unintentional bias against obese people and slightly less than one out of five medical students showed unintentional bias against thin people - at least in southeastern United States.
Published in:
Academic Medicine
Study Further:
“Previous research has shown that on average, physicians have a strong anti-fat bias similar to that of the general population. Doctors are more likely to assum........ Read more »
Miller, D., Spangler, J., Vitolins, M., Davis, S., Ip, E., Marion, G., & Crandall, S. (2013) Are Medical Students Aware of Their Anti-obesity Bias?. Academic Medicine, 1. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e318294f817
- May 26, 2013
- 06:16 AM
- 79 views
How to Best Talk About Sex, Research
by Annemarie van Oosten in United Academics
One of the most important things in sustaining a good relationship, and a sexual relationship for that matter, is good communication. But what exactly is good communication when it comes to sex? How should we talk about sex to our partners?... Read more »
Hess, J., & Coffelt, T. (2012) Verbal Communication about Sex in Marriage: Patterns of Language Use and Its Connection with Relational Outcomes. Journal of Sex Research, 49(6), 603-612. DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2011.619282
- May 26, 2013
- 04:27 AM
- 55 views
More on urinary metabolomics in autism research
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
The -omics. Y'know all those new-fangled disciplines which have sprung up to describe how sciences looks at genes, bacteria, etc. We used to call it plain old scientific analysis, but now depending on what your sample medium or technology or your target species is, its been rebranded and repackaged as an -omic.Shepherdess @ Wikipedia I've talked about a few of the -omics quite a bit on this blog and their relationship to systems biology; ranging from microbiomics (studying bacteria) to epi........ Read more »
Emond P, Mavel S, Aïdoud N, Nadal-Desbarats L, Montigny F, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Barthélémy C, Merten M, Sarda P, Laumonnier F.... (2013) GC-MS-based urine metabolic profiling of autism spectrum disorders. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. PMID: 23571465
Mavel, S., Nadal-Desbarats, L., Blasco, H., Bonnet-Brilhault, F., Barthélémy, C., Montigny, F., Sarda, P., Laumonnier, F., Vourc′h, P., Andres, C.... (2013) 1H–13C NMR-based urine metabolic profiling in autism spectrum disorders. Talanta, 95-102. DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2013.03.064
- May 26, 2013
- 12:01 AM
- 36 views
Chaladnik (Belarusian oxalic acid soup)
by Maria in Green Gabbro
An easy, delightful cold soup using sheep sorrel, wood sorrel, or any other oxalic weeds you happen to have in your garden.... Read more »
Łuczaj, �., Köhler, P., Pirożnikow, E., Graniszewska, M., Pieroni, A., & Gervasi, T. (2013) Wild edible plants of Belarus: from Rostafiński’s questionnaire of 1883 to the present. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 9(1), 21. DOI: 10.1186/1746-4269-9-21
- May 25, 2013
- 07:46 PM
- 6 views
How not to do science — the E-Cat
by threadsofscience in Threads of science
A recent paper from the Arxiv made its way into my browser this week — http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.3913 It’s a description of some ‘tests’ that the authors did on the ‘E-Cat’ (for Energy Catalyser) device, something Italian inventor Andrea Rossi has cooked up that is claimed to produce energy ”one order of magnitude greater than conventional energy … Continue reading →... Read more »
Giuseppe Levi, Evelyn Foschi, Torbjörn Hartman, Bo Höistad, Roland Pettersson, Lars Tegnér, & Hanno Essén. (2013) Indication of anomalous heat energy production in a reactor device. Arxiv. arXiv: 1305.3913v2
- May 25, 2013
- 05:00 PM
- 66 views
The Effects of Fatigue on Foot Function
by Craig Payne in Running Research Junkie
The Effects of Fatigue on Foot Function... Read more »
Cowley, E., & Marsden, J. (2013) The effects of prolonged running on foot posture: a repeated measures study of half marathon runners using the foot posture index and navicular height. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 6(1), 20. DOI: 10.1186/1757-1146-6-20
- May 25, 2013
- 04:37 PM
- 104 views
Is Nature Unnatural?
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
Decades of confounding experiments have physicists considering a startling possibility: The universe might not make sense.... Read more »
Natalie Wolchover. (2013) Is Nature Unnatural?. Simons Foundation. info:/
- May 25, 2013
- 03:45 PM
- 82 views
Waiting for the Revolution
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
An interview with the Nobel Prize-winning physicist David J. Gross.... Read more »
Peter Byrne. (2013) Waiting for the Revolution. Simons Foundation. info:/
- May 25, 2013
- 02:12 PM
- 76 views
Astronomers Measure the Elusive Extragalactic Background Light
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
If all the light emitted by all galaxies in the observable universe at all wavelengths during all of cosmic history were known, it would clue astronomers about the entire history of galaxy formation and evolution, and provide insights to key aspects of the expansion history of the universe.... Read more »
Iqbal Pittalwala. (2013) Astronomers Measure the Elusive Extragalactic Background Light. UC Riverside Today. info:/
- May 25, 2013
- 12:33 PM
- 63 views
Intrinsic decoherence observed again!
by Marco Frasca in The Gauge Connection
Decoherence is the effect that causes a quantum system to behave classically. The most known of this kind of effects is due to environment where the interaction of an open quantum system with its surrounding is the reason for the loss of quantum coherence. This effect is well-proven on an experimental ground and must be considered […]... Read more »
Bryce Gadway, Jeremy Reeves, Ludwig Krinner, & Dominik Schneble. (2012) Evidence for a Quantum-to-Classical Transition in a Pair of Coupled Quantum Rotors. Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 190401 (2013). arXiv: 1203.3177v2
Adachi, S., Toda, M., & Ikeda, K. (1988) Quantum-Classical Correspondence in Many-Dimensional Quantum Chaos. Physical Review Letters, 61(6), 659-661. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.61.659
- May 25, 2013
- 11:40 AM
- 58 views
Get the Science Right: Autism vs Vaccines Flares On
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
The reaction was swift, both times. In 1998, British scientist Andrew Wakefield published a paper in Lancet, showing that vaccines could result in autism. Alarmed parents looked at vaccines with suspicion—many kept their children from being vaccinated, which may have helped spark a measles outbreak or two. Then, in 2010, Lancet retracted the paper, and Wakefield eventually had his medical license revoked. But the controversy continues... Read more »
DeStefano, F., Price, C., & Weintraub, E. (2013) Increasing Exposure to Antibody-Stimulating Proteins and Polysaccharides in Vaccines Is Not Associated with Risk of Autism. The Journal of Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.02.001
- May 25, 2013
- 09:49 AM
- 138 views
This Month in Blastocystis Research
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
This Month in Blastocystis Research is a bit meagre, but here's a chance to listen to a 1h related Blastocystis case story podcast...
... Read more »
Sakalar C, Uyar Y, Yürürdurmaz MA, Tokar S, Yeşilkaya H, Gürbüz E, Kuk S, & Yazar S. (2013) [Cloning of Blastocystis sp Subtype 3 Small-subunit Ribosomal DNA]. Turkiye parazitolojii dergisi / Turkiye Parazitoloji Dernegi , 37(1), 13-8. PMID: 23619039
Ozyurt M, Kurt O, Mølbak K, Nielsen HV, Haznedaroglu T, & Stensvold CR. (2008) Molecular epidemiology of Blastocystis infections in Turkey. Parasitology international, 57(3), 300-6. PMID: 18337161
- May 25, 2013
- 07:31 AM
- 99 views
Accurate Distance Measurement Resolves Major Astronomical Mystery
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
The researchers used the National Science Foundation’s Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and the European VLBI Network (EVN) to precisely locate one of the most-observed variable-star systems in the sky — a double-star system called SS Cygni — at 370 light-years from Earth. This new distance measurement meant that an explanation for the system’s regular outbursts that applies to similar pairs also applies to SS Cygni.... Read more »
Dave Finley. (2013) Accurate Distance Measurement Resolves Major Astronomical Mystery. National Radio Astronomy Observatory. info:/
- May 25, 2013
- 05:36 AM
- 95 views
The well-qualified amateur who threw the spotlight back on CO2
by Andy Extance in Simple Climate
75 years ago Guy Callendar revealed calculations and temperature measurements linking rising 20th century temperatures to burning fossil fuels, helping to lay the foundations for understanding the global warming that is still ongoing today.... Read more »
Callendar, G. (1938) The artificial production of carbon dioxide and its influence on temperature. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 64(275), 223-240. DOI: 10.1002/qj.49706427503
Ed Hawkins and Phil D. Jones. (2013) On increasing global temperatures: 75 years after Callendar. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society. info:/
- May 25, 2013
- 04:59 AM
- 107 views
‘Quantum microscope’ peers into the hydrogen atom
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
The first direct observation of the orbital structure of an excited hydrogen atom has been made by an international team of researchers. The observation was made using a newly developed “quantum microscope”, which uses photoionization microscopy to visualize the structure directly. The team’s demonstration proves that “photoionization microscopy”, which was first proposed more than 30 years ago, can be experimentally realized and can serve as a tool to explore the s........ Read more »
Tushna Commissariat. (2013) 'Quantum microscope' peers into the hydrogen atom. physicsworld.com. info:/
- May 24, 2013
- 11:30 PM
- 79 views
Computer science on prediction and the edge of chaos
by Artem Kaznatcheev in Evolutionary Games Group
With the development of statistical mechanics, physicists became the first agent-based modellers. Since the scientists of the 19th century didn’t have super-computers, they couldn’t succumb to the curse of computing and had to come up with analytic treatments of their “agent-based models”. These analytic treatments were often not rigorous, and only a heuristic correspondence was […]... Read more »
Chazelle, B. (2012) Natural algorithms and influence systems. Communications of the ACM, 55(12), 101. DOI: 10.1145/2380656.2380679
- May 24, 2013
- 09:11 PM
- 145 views
What music do dogs prefer? Bach vs. Snoop Dogg
by Cobb & Hecht in Do You Believe In Dog?
Hey Julie,I hope you've had a fun week. I saw a new in-press publication with your name on it - "Smelling more or less: Investigating the olfactory experience of the domestic dog" - looks like a really great study, and so timely after my last post about dogs and olfactory enrichment! Looking forward to reading it (and all those other cool Learning and Motivation articles) over the weekend. So did you do your homework? Did you watch this clip from the Sydney Opera H........ Read more »
Kogan Lori R., Schoenfeld-Tacher Regina, & Simon Allen A. (2012) Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 7(5), 268-275. DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2011.11.002
Wells D, Graham L, & Hepper P. (2002) The influence of auditory stimulation on the behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter. Animal Welfare, 11(4), 385-393. http://www.ufaw.org.uk/v11main.php
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