SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korean pop star PSY's first new single since his viral hit "Gangnam Style" is stealing attention from inter-Korean tensions.
YG Entertainment, PSY's agency, says "Gentleman" was released in 119 countries on Friday.
PSY co-composed the electronic dance music and wrote the lyrics for the song, which pokes fun at a self-claimed gentleman who enjoys his time at a dance club.
Tensions in South Korea are high, with residents wary of a possible missile test by the North. But South Korean Internet users were more interested Friday in PSY's new song than North Korea: "Gentleman" was the most searched keyword on top Web portals.
PSY's manager Hwang Kyu-wan says the video for "Gentleman" will be unveiled at his comeback concert in Seoul on Sunday and will then be uploaded onto YouTube.
More Earth-gazing satellites are needed to better understand the phenomenon of so-called dark lightning, according to researchers speaking at a meeting of the European Geosciences Union today (April 10) in Vienna.
Dark lightning is invisible to the naked eye, but in certain, extremely rare conditions could produce gamma-ray radiation in an airplane equivalent to a few chest X-rays or a full-body CT scan, the researchers said, though they emphasized that the phenomenon does not appear to be dangerous to flyers.
"It's really a brand-new thing to realize this could happen deep in our atmosphere with something as ordinary as a thunderstorm," said Joseph Dwyer, a physicist at the Florida Institute of Technology, during a webcast news conference.
The satellites currently studying this phenomenon are not designed to look at Earth; instead, the satellites probe black holes and other phenomena far away in the universe that produce gamma-rays, and happen to sense radiation from Earth that is coming from behind them.
This led scientists to say that the field of research could use a dedicated Earth-gazing satellite.
"It's an important issue, and we have to study it more," said Marco Tavani, an astrophysics researcher at the University of Rome and Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics.
Gamma-rays within the atmosphere
"Dark" lightning is a type of electrical discharge within a thunderstorm that produces what are called terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Gamma-rays are at one extreme end of the electromagnetic spectrum of light and are higher energy than ultraviolet light or X-rays. The phenomenon of dark lightning takes place in regions of the atmosphere with strong electric fields. [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]
The fields accelerate electrons to almost the speed of light. Then, the electrons smash into air molecules and produce gamma-rays. The gamma-rays then produce electrons and their antimatter equivalents (positrons). These particles next crash into air molecules, and produce even more gamma-rays.
When these terrestrial gamma-ray flashes were first seen in the 1990s, Dwyer explained, it was thought they came from the upper parts of the atmosphere in a region that is well away from where people are. Eight years ago, however, a research team found gamma-rays originating from well within the lower part of the atmosphere during a thunderstorm, leading to questions about how airplane flyers would be affected.
Tavani said Earth-gazing satellites should feed into an early warning system that weather forecasters and airline officials would have access to, just as a precaution.
The concern is how gamma-rays can produce neutrons, which would increase the background level of these particles that humans are exposed to when flying.
?Gamma-rays of large enough energy, Tavani explained, "excite" the nuclei in oxygen or nitrogen in the atmosphere, as well as the aluminum that makes up planes. The nuclei then decay, which can lead to brief periods where the number of neutrons in the vicinity increases.
"Neutrons are pretty nasty," Tavani said. (Neutron radiation is a harmful side effect of nuclear reactions, for example.)
He added, however, that flyers are already exposed to 300 times more neutrons per second in the air than they are on the ground. The aviation industry is aware of this normal background, but the bursts of neutrons produced in thunderstorms are not as well understood, Tavani said.
New detector coming
Gamma-rays on Earth are currently being studied by Italy's AGILE satellite, which is designed to hunt X-rays and gamma-rays in the universe, and NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. A modest Earth-gazing detector is on the way to orbit soon, however.
The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) instrument is expected to launch to the International Space Station aboard a robotic HTV cargo ship in 2013 or 2014.
The European instrument, which includes a suite of cameras and a gamma-ray detector, will study "extreme thunderstorms" as well as the Earth's clouds, atmosphere and water cycle.
Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebookand Google+.Original article at LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Apr. 10, 2013 ? The same material that formed the first primitive transistors more than 60 years ago can be modified in a new way to advance future electronics, according to a new study.
Chemists at The Ohio State University have developed the technology for making a one-atom-thick sheet of germanium, and found that it conducts electrons more than ten times faster than silicon and five times faster than conventional germanium.
The material's structure is closely related to that of graphene -- a much-touted two-dimensional material composed of single layers of carbon atoms. As such, graphene shows unique properties compared to its more common multilayered counterpart, graphite. Graphene has yet to be used commercially, but experts have suggested that it could one day form faster computer chips, and maybe even function as a superconductor, so many labs are working to develop it.
Joshua Goldberger, assistant professor of chemistry at Ohio State, decided to take a different direction and focus on more traditional materials.
"Most people think of graphene as the electronic material of the future," Goldberger said. "But silicon and germanium are still the materials of the present. Sixty years' worth of brainpower has gone into developing techniques to make chips out of them. So we've been searching for unique forms of silicon and germanium with advantageous properties, to get the benefits of a new material but with less cost and using existing technology."
In a paper published online in the journal ACS Nano, he and his colleagues describe how they were able to create a stable, single layer of germanium atoms. In this form, the crystalline material is called germanane.
Researchers have tried to create germanane before. This is the first time anyone has succeeded at growing sufficient quantities of it to measure the material's properties in detail, and demonstrate that it is stable when exposed to air and water.
In nature, germanium tends to form multilayered crystals in which each atomic layer is bonded together; the single-atom layer is normally unstable. To get around this problem, Goldberger's team created multi-layered germanium crystals with calcium atoms wedged between the layers. Then they dissolved away the calcium with water, and plugged the empty chemical bonds that were left behind with hydrogen. The result: they were able to peel off individual layers of germanane.
Studded with hydrogen atoms, germanane is even more chemically stable than traditional silicon. It won't oxidize in air and water, as silicon does. That makes germanane easy to work with using conventional chip manufacturing techniques.
The primary thing that makes germanane desirable for optoelectronics is that it has what scientists call a "direct band gap," meaning that light is easily absorbed or emitted. Materials such as conventional silicon and germanium have indirect band gaps, meaning that it is much more difficult for the material to absorb or emit light.
"When you try to use a material with an indirect band gap on a solar cell, you have to make it pretty thick if you want enough energy to pass through it to be useful. A material with a direct band gap can do the same job with a piece of material 100 times thinner," Goldberger said.
The first-ever transistors were crafted from germanium in the late 1940s, and they were about the size of a thumbnail. Though transistors have grown microscopic since then -- with millions of them packed into every computer chip -- germanium still holds potential to advance electronics, the study showed.
According to the researchers' calculations, electrons can move through germanane ten times faster through silicon, and five times faster than through conventional germanium. The speed measurement is called electron mobility.
With its high mobility, germanane could thus carry the increased load in future high-powered computer chips.
"Mobility is important, because faster computer chips can only be made with faster mobility materials," Golberger said. "When you shrink transistors down to small scales, you need to use higher mobility materials or the transistors will just not work," Goldberger explained.
Next, the team is going to explore how to tune the properties of germanane by changing the configuration of the atoms in the single layer.
Lead author of the paper was Ohio State undergraduate chemistry student Elizabeth Bianco, who recently won the first place award for this research at the nationwide nanotechnology competition NDConnect, hosted by the University of Notre Dame. Other co-authors included Sheneve Butler and Shishi Jiang of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Oscar Restrepo and Wolfgang Windl of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
The research was supported in part by an allocation of computing time from the Ohio Supercomputing Center, with instrumentation provided by the Analytical Surface Facility in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Ohio State University Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis Program. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, the Center for Emergent Materials at Ohio State, and the university's Materials Research Seed Grant Program.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio State University. The original article was written by Pam Frost Gorder.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Elisabeth Bianco, Sheneve Butler, Shishi Jiang, Oscar D. Restrepo, Wolfgang Windl, Joshua E. Goldberger. Stability and Exfoliation of Germanane: A Germanium Graphane Analogue. ACS Nano, 2013; : 130326123449003 DOI: 10.1021/nn4009406
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Excerpted from The New Monogamy: Redefining Your relationship After Infidelity
Does infidelity always have to mean the end of the relationship? Affairs can be painful and shocking, and can often cause untold damage. However, for some couples, an affair may also be a path to strength and to a renewed and even stronger relationship.
Here are six steps that will help you move through the aftershocks of an affair so that you can recover your equilibrium as a couple.
Step 1: Take care of yourself. If you are in the crisis phase, if you just found out about your partner's affair, it's normal to feel distraught. You may be overwhelmed and in shock. It's important to take care of yourself at this time. Even if you have a family to care for, your needs must come first now. Remember, you can't pour from an empty pitcher. Take care of yourself during this phase by letting yourself feel your feelings, getting sufficient rest and nutrition, and finding a support system. You may want to do additional self-care, like massage, acupuncture, or yoga. Think of friends you can call whenever you need to talk. Being alone in your pain can make it harder. Find an online group of helpful, nonjudgmental people to help support you right now.
Step 2: Communicate. Learning to communicate can be difficult, and if your style or skills at dealing with conflict before the affair weren't great, they are probably not helping you now. The skills you can learn in a book like The New Monogamy will give you a good framework for communicating within your relationship. You will need to carve out some time to practice your new communication skills, and you may need a therapist to help you do that. Or you can use the exercises in the book to practice a new kind of dialogue about your feelings and needs with your partner.
Step 3: Have a date night. If you choose to stay together, set aside one night a week just for you and your partner. This is time that is separate from therapy and the children. You may feel awkward at first, as if you were dating, just as you did in the beginning of your relationship. But you need this time to explore your new relationship together. On your date, find something other than the affair to talk about. Give each other a break on date night by keeping things light and polite. Even if you are feeling intense emotions, you may need a break from the constant worry and frustration.
Step 4: Address the reality. Why did the affair happen? Through insight and discussion, you will explore together how you got to this place. Now that you are taking care of yourself, practicing your communication skills, and setting aside time to be together, you can begin the real work of figuring out how you both created the path you are now on. Only one of you may have cheated, but both of you need to change now if you are to stay together. In what ways can each of you grow from this experience?
Step 5: Create a new monogamy agreement. Your new monogamy agreement will clear away all the unspoken expectations that led to the betrayal and hurt that you feel now. You can rewrite your agreement to include anything that the two of you may find valuable for your future. This new vision of your relationship going forward is a new beginning. It's not a way to go back to your old relationship, but rather a way to create a new partnership based on a mutual understanding of what will work for both of you.
Step 6: Initiate erotic recovery. Spending a lifetime together and staying monogamous won't be easy. Let's face it: desiring one person for a lifetime doesn't happen effortlessly. It happens because you apply the energy and practice it. Monogamy isn't something that happens automatically because you made a vow when you first committed to each other. Monogamy is a practice. You must focus on it, honor it, and choose it every day. Working every day on your erotic life means that you are both committing to that practice. And as with anything that you need to practice, some days will go better than others. Eventually you will get better at it, until one day you may even find that you are monogamy experts.
For more information on creating your new monogamy agreement, click here.
Dr. Tammy Nelson is a world renowned sex and relationship expert and the author of The New Monogamy and Getting the Sex You Want. She can be found at www.drtammynelson.com
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Kickstarter backers have been receiving Pebble smartwatches with a black paint job since January, but if you're a supporter and haven't gotten ahold of your own yet, that's about to change. The folks behind the hardware announced today that the remaining watches are out of the factory and are being readied for delivery, making for over 55,000 shipped. Now that noir Pebbles are out of the way, the team says it's hard at work perfecting the production of the devices in other colors, and that the very first red Pebbles should be ready for shipping in two to three weeks. Other flavors don't have an estimated ship date just yet, but the team says Orange hardware will come next, with gray / white tagging along afterwards. Those who cherish speed over color can switch their order to a black ticker and snag one within roughly two weeks. On the software side, the e-paper timepiece can now take advantage of five 12-hour watch faces, so long as they carry firmware version 1.9.1. Hit the source link for details on the tribulations of color Pebble production and the perils of plastic injection.
New cancer 'vaccine' shows future promise in treating and preventing metastatic cancersPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Wallace wallacej@vcu.edu 804-628-1550 Virginia Commonwealth University
Preclinical, laboratory studies suggest a novel immunotherapy could potentially work like a vaccine against metastatic cancers, according to scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Results from a recent study show the therapy could treat metastatic cancers and be used in combination with current cancer therapies while helping to prevent the development of new metastatic tumors and train specialized immune system cells to guard against cancer relapse.
Recently published in the journal Cancer Research, the study detailed the effects of a molecule engineered by lead author Xiang-Yang Wang, Ph.D., on animal and cell models of melanoma, prostate and colon tumors. The molecule called Flagrp-170 consists of two distinct proteins, glucose-regulated protein 170 (Grp170), known as a "molecular chaperone," and a "danger signal" derived from flagellin, a protein commonly found in bacteria. The researchers used modified viruses, or adenoviruses, that can no longer replicate to transport Flagrp-170 directly to the tumor site to achieve localized vaccination. The novel therapy caused a profound immune response that significantly prolonged survival in animal models.
"Successfully promoting antitumor immunity will help eradicate tumor cells, control cancer progression and help prevent tumor relapse," says Wang, Harrison Scholar, member of the Cancer Molecular Genetics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center and associate professor of Human and Molecular Genetics at VCU School of Medicine. "This immunotherapy has the potential to be used alone or in combination with conventional cancer treatments to develop and establish immune protection against cancer and its metastases."
Grp170 is currently being explored for its potential as a "cancer vaccine" because it has been shown to help the immune system recognize cancer antigens. Antigens are molecules from foreign objects such as bacteria, viruses or cancer that, when detected, provoke an immune response aimed at attacking them. However, because cancer cells can alter the microenvironment surrounding a tumor, they are able to suppress immune responses and continue replicating without being attacked by the body's natural defenses.
The chimeric chaperone Flagrp-170, created by strategically fusing a fragment of flagellin to Grp170, not only enhances antigen presentation, it also stimulates additional immune signals essential for functional activation of specialized immune cells, including dendritic cells, CD8+ T lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. Dendritic cells act as messengers between the innate and adaptive immune systems. Once activated in response to a stimulus such as Flagrp-170, dendritic cells migrate to lymph nodes where they interact with other immune cells such as T lymphocytes to shape the body's immune response. CD8+ T lymphocytes and NK cells are known to respond to tumor formation and kill cancer cells by triggering apoptosis, a form of cell suicide.
"Overcoming cancer's ability to suppress the body's natural immune responses and restore or develop immunity for tumor eradication is the goal of cancer immunotherapy," says Wang. "More experiments are needed, but we are hoping Flagrp-170 may one day be used in formulating more effective therapeutic cancer vaccines."
Moving forward, Wang and his team are working to better understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for Flagrp-170's therapeutic effects. Additional studies are underway to more efficiently target and deliver Flagrp-170 to tumor sites in order to provoke a more robust and durable immune response.
###
Wang collaborated on this research with Paul Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., Thelma Newmeyer Corman Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and program co-leader of Cancer Molecular Genetics at VCU Massey Cancer Center, chairman of VCU's Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and director of the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine; Xiaofei Yu; Chunquing Guo, Ph.D.; Huanfa Yi; and Jie Qian, Ph.D., all from VCU's Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine; and John R. Subjeck from the Department of Cellular Stress Biology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
This research was supported by NIH grants CA129111 and CA154708; the American Cancer Society, the Department of Defense and, in part, by funding from VCU Massey Cancer Center's NIH-NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA016059.
The full manuscript of this study is available online at: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2013/01/18/0008-5472.CAN-12-1740.long.
News directors: Broadcast access to VCU Massey Cancer Center experts is available through VideoLink ReadyCam. ReadyCam transmits video and audio via fiber optics through a system that is routed to your newsroom. To schedule a live or taped interview, contact John Wallace.
About VCU Massey Cancer Center:
VCU Massey Cancer Center is one of only 67 National Cancer Institute-designated institutions in the country that leads and shapes America's cancer research efforts. Working with all kinds of cancers, the Center conducts basic, translational and clinical cancer research, provides state-of-the-art treatments and clinical trials, and promotes cancer prevention and education. Since 1974, Massey has served as an internationally recognized center of excellence. It has one of the largest offerings of clinical trials in Virginia and serves patients in Richmond and in four satellite locations. Its 1,000 researchers, clinicians and staff members are dedicated to improving the quality of human life by developing and delivering effective means to prevent, control and ultimately to cure cancer. Visit Massey online at www.massey.vcu.edu or call 877-4-MASSEY for more information.
About VCU and the VCU Medical Center:
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 222 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-six of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU's 13 schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers. For more, see www.vcu.edu.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New cancer 'vaccine' shows future promise in treating and preventing metastatic cancersPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Wallace wallacej@vcu.edu 804-628-1550 Virginia Commonwealth University
Preclinical, laboratory studies suggest a novel immunotherapy could potentially work like a vaccine against metastatic cancers, according to scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Results from a recent study show the therapy could treat metastatic cancers and be used in combination with current cancer therapies while helping to prevent the development of new metastatic tumors and train specialized immune system cells to guard against cancer relapse.
Recently published in the journal Cancer Research, the study detailed the effects of a molecule engineered by lead author Xiang-Yang Wang, Ph.D., on animal and cell models of melanoma, prostate and colon tumors. The molecule called Flagrp-170 consists of two distinct proteins, glucose-regulated protein 170 (Grp170), known as a "molecular chaperone," and a "danger signal" derived from flagellin, a protein commonly found in bacteria. The researchers used modified viruses, or adenoviruses, that can no longer replicate to transport Flagrp-170 directly to the tumor site to achieve localized vaccination. The novel therapy caused a profound immune response that significantly prolonged survival in animal models.
"Successfully promoting antitumor immunity will help eradicate tumor cells, control cancer progression and help prevent tumor relapse," says Wang, Harrison Scholar, member of the Cancer Molecular Genetics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center and associate professor of Human and Molecular Genetics at VCU School of Medicine. "This immunotherapy has the potential to be used alone or in combination with conventional cancer treatments to develop and establish immune protection against cancer and its metastases."
Grp170 is currently being explored for its potential as a "cancer vaccine" because it has been shown to help the immune system recognize cancer antigens. Antigens are molecules from foreign objects such as bacteria, viruses or cancer that, when detected, provoke an immune response aimed at attacking them. However, because cancer cells can alter the microenvironment surrounding a tumor, they are able to suppress immune responses and continue replicating without being attacked by the body's natural defenses.
The chimeric chaperone Flagrp-170, created by strategically fusing a fragment of flagellin to Grp170, not only enhances antigen presentation, it also stimulates additional immune signals essential for functional activation of specialized immune cells, including dendritic cells, CD8+ T lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. Dendritic cells act as messengers between the innate and adaptive immune systems. Once activated in response to a stimulus such as Flagrp-170, dendritic cells migrate to lymph nodes where they interact with other immune cells such as T lymphocytes to shape the body's immune response. CD8+ T lymphocytes and NK cells are known to respond to tumor formation and kill cancer cells by triggering apoptosis, a form of cell suicide.
"Overcoming cancer's ability to suppress the body's natural immune responses and restore or develop immunity for tumor eradication is the goal of cancer immunotherapy," says Wang. "More experiments are needed, but we are hoping Flagrp-170 may one day be used in formulating more effective therapeutic cancer vaccines."
Moving forward, Wang and his team are working to better understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for Flagrp-170's therapeutic effects. Additional studies are underway to more efficiently target and deliver Flagrp-170 to tumor sites in order to provoke a more robust and durable immune response.
###
Wang collaborated on this research with Paul Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., Thelma Newmeyer Corman Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and program co-leader of Cancer Molecular Genetics at VCU Massey Cancer Center, chairman of VCU's Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and director of the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine; Xiaofei Yu; Chunquing Guo, Ph.D.; Huanfa Yi; and Jie Qian, Ph.D., all from VCU's Department of Human and Molecular Genetics and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine; and John R. Subjeck from the Department of Cellular Stress Biology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
This research was supported by NIH grants CA129111 and CA154708; the American Cancer Society, the Department of Defense and, in part, by funding from VCU Massey Cancer Center's NIH-NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA016059.
The full manuscript of this study is available online at: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2013/01/18/0008-5472.CAN-12-1740.long.
News directors: Broadcast access to VCU Massey Cancer Center experts is available through VideoLink ReadyCam. ReadyCam transmits video and audio via fiber optics through a system that is routed to your newsroom. To schedule a live or taped interview, contact John Wallace.
About VCU Massey Cancer Center:
VCU Massey Cancer Center is one of only 67 National Cancer Institute-designated institutions in the country that leads and shapes America's cancer research efforts. Working with all kinds of cancers, the Center conducts basic, translational and clinical cancer research, provides state-of-the-art treatments and clinical trials, and promotes cancer prevention and education. Since 1974, Massey has served as an internationally recognized center of excellence. It has one of the largest offerings of clinical trials in Virginia and serves patients in Richmond and in four satellite locations. Its 1,000 researchers, clinicians and staff members are dedicated to improving the quality of human life by developing and delivering effective means to prevent, control and ultimately to cure cancer. Visit Massey online at www.massey.vcu.edu or call 877-4-MASSEY for more information.
About VCU and the VCU Medical Center:
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 222 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-six of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU's 13 schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers. For more, see www.vcu.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.