sexta-feira, 7 de agosto de 2015

Uma artista que cria surpreendentes mandalas pintando pedras do oceano

 

A criadora Elspeth McLean é uma artista australiana que cria mandalas incríveis usando pedras lisas do oceano. Ela pinta milhares de minúsculos pontinhos sobre as pedras e todos eles se reúnem para fazer belíssimas imagens. Inspire-se!

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Tags:  #Artes#Cultura#Inspiração#Zen

Fonte: http://portalinho.com/545/artista-cria-surpreendentes-mandalas-pintando-pedras-do-oceano-14-fotos/

Where Children Play

 

Posted: 06 Aug 2015 06:30 AM PDT

Se rappelant que ses souvenirs d’enfance, en grande majorité, se déroulaient dans la cour de son école, le photographe James Mollison a eu l’excellente idée de créer avec cette série Playgrounds un panorama des cours d’école à travers le monde, en commençant par sa propre école en Angleterre.

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Hubble Finds a Little Gem

 

 

Little gem

 

This colorful bubble is a planetary nebula called NGC 6818, also known as the Little Gem Nebula. It is located in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer), roughly 6,000 light-years away from us. The rich glow of the cloud is just over half a light-year across — humongous compared to its tiny central star — but still a little gem on a cosmic scale.
When stars like the sun enter "retirement," they shed their outer layers into space to create glowing clouds of gas called planetary nebulae. This ejection of mass is uneven, and planetary nebulae can have very complex shapes. NGC 6818 shows knotty filament-like structures and distinct layers of material, with a bright and enclosed central bubble surrounded by a larger, more diffuse cloud.
Scientists believe that the stellar wind from the central star propels the outflowing material, sculpting the elongated shape of NGC 6818. As this fast wind smashes through the slower-moving cloud it creates particularly bright blowouts at the bubble’s outer layers.
Hubble previously imaged this nebula back in 1997 with its Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, using a mix of filters that highlighted emission from ionized oxygen and hydrogen. This image, while from the same camera, uses different filters to reveal a different view of the nebula.
  

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt
Text credit: European Space Agency

Last Updated: Aug. 7, 2015

Editor: Ashley Morrow

NASA to Share the Universe with Tumblr Users

 

 

NASA is launching an official Tumblr profile that will give Tumblr users a regular dose of space in a blog-like format through text, photos, videos and more.

Tumblr is a social media platform that allows users to connect and follow other content creators in a collaborative micro-blog format. People are able to discover, share and create content that expresses their personality, hobbies and interests. The NASA Tumblr profile will share information, images and video about the agency’s missions of exploration and discovery.

To follow NASA’s new Tumblr account, visit:

http://nasa.tumblr.com

NASA now is on Tumblr

Credits: NASA

NASA now is on Tumblr

Along with the new official NASA Tumblr account, astronaut Peggy Whitson will offer a behind-the-scenes look at an astronaut’s journey as she trains for a six-month mission to the International Space Station. It takes a NASA Village to train an astronaut, and Whitson’s Tumblr will highlight the many people who make human spaceflight possible.

To follow Whitson’s Tumblr, visit:

http://astropeggy.tumblr.com/

These two official NASA Tumblr profiles will be joined by two mission accounts. The JunoCam Tumblr will showcase Jupiter images from amateur astronomers and public-processed images from JunoCam on board NASA's Juno mission. The Curiosity rover will share engineering, science and selfies from the surface of Mars.

To follow JunoCam and Curiosity on Tumblr, visit:

http://nasajunocam.tumblr.com

http://curiositymarsrover.tumblr.com

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno and Curiosity missions for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

NASA engages and inspires the public by sharing unique content through social media. The agency continues to add new platforms like Tumblr to offer the public a comprehensive view of NASA’s missions, facilities and people.

For a comprehensive list of NASA social media accounts and platforms, visit:

www.nasa.gov/socialmedia

John Yembrick / Jason Townsend
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1584 / 202-358-0359
john.yembrick@nasa.gov / jason.c.townsend@nasa.gov

Last Updated: Aug. 7, 2015

Editor: Karen Northon

 

Alzheimer's: Understand wandering and how to address it

 

 

Alzheimer's causes disorientation, which can lead to wandering. Here's how to curb or prevent wandering, as well as ensure a safe return if your loved one is lost.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Alzheimer's Caregiving

Subscribe to our Alzheimer's Caregiving e-newsletter to stay up to date on Alzheimer's topics.

Wandering or getting lost is common among people with dementia. This behavior can happen at any stage of Alzheimer's. If your loved one has Alzheimer's, he or she is at risk of getting lost — even if he or she has never wandered in the past.

Understand wandering

There are many reasons why a person who has Alzheimer's might wander, including:

  • Stress or fear. Your loved one might wander as a reaction to an unfamiliar or overstimulating environment, a loud noise or a situation he or she doesn't understand.
  • Searching. He or she might get lost while searching for someone or something.
  • Boredom. He or she might be looking for something to do.
  • Basic needs. He or she might be looking for a bathroom or food, or want to go outdoors.
  • Following past routines. He or she might try to go to work, do chores or buy groceries.
Prevent wandering

Wandering is not necessarily harmful if it occurs in a safe and controlled environment. However, wandering can pose safety issues.

To prevent unsafe wandering identify why the wandering might be happening. For example, if your loved one tends to wander at the same time every day or when he or she is bored, plan meaningful activities to keep him or her better engaged. If your loved one is searching for a spouse or child, post a sign stating that the person in question will be visiting soon to provide reassurance and reduce wandering.

Keep your loved one safe

It's not always possible to prevent wandering. To keep your loved one safe:

  • Reduce hazards. Remove tripping hazards, such as throw rugs and extension cords. Install night lights to aid nighttime wanderers. Put gates at stairwells to prevent falls.
  • Install alarms and locks. Various devices can alert you that your loved one is on the move. You might place pressure-sensitive alarm mats at the door or at your loved one's bedside, put warning bells on doors and use childproof covers on doorknobs. If your loved one tends to unlock doors, you might install sliding bolt locks out of your loved one's line of sight.
  • Camouflage doors. Place removable curtains over doors or camouflage doors with paint or wallpaper that matches the surrounding walls. Signs on doors might help, too.
  • Use a GPS device. Consider having your loved one wear a GPS or other tracking device that can send electronic alerts about his or her location. If your loved one wanders, the GPS device can help you find him or her quickly.
Ensure a safe return

Wanderers who get lost can be difficult to find because they often react unpredictably. For example, they might not call for help or respond to searchers' calls. Once found, wanderers might not remember their names or where they live.

If you're concerned about your loved one's wandering, inform the local police, your neighbors and other close contacts about your loved one's condition. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers handy in case you can't find your loved one. Keep a recent photo of your loved one on hand, too.

Also consider enrolling in the Alzheimer's Association safe-return program. For a small fee, participants receive an identification bracelet and access to 24-hour support in case of emergency.

If your loved one is lost, contact local authorities and the safe-return program — if you've enrolled — right away. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner your loved one is likely to be found.

 

quinta-feira, 6 de agosto de 2015

Students rise to NASA electric aircraft design challenge

 

 

The one-and-only winner of the graduate section was Tom Neuman for his Vapor design

The one-and-only winner of the graduate section was Tom Neuman for his Vapor design (Credit: Tom Neuman/Georgia Institute of Technology)

In a recent challenge issued by NASA, university students were asked to design an electric aircraft envisaged to enter service in the year 2020 and be commercially competitive with standard piston-engine craft. In response, the space agency received submissions from 20 universities across the United States that not only met the brief but, in many cases, went above and beyond to really the impress the judges. We take a look at the top five prize winners.

The designs were assessed not only on their merit, but also considered in regard to the student university level. As such, submissions were categorized into graduate and undergraduate design studies and judged accordingly.

 

Graduate Level

The one-and-only winner of this section was Tom Neuman, a graduate student with a Master’s of aerospace engineering at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His design brought in twin 8 ft (2.5 m) tail-mounted propellers that, according to Neuman, were computer-modeled to achieve 92 percent efficiency.

With an efficient laminar flow fuselage design and retractable landing gear to further reduce drag, Vapor has a claimed 25 percent reduction in parasitic drag when compared to a Cirrus SR22 aircraft used as a standard light-aviation benchmark.

Designed to be powered by a proton exchange membrane fuel-cell (PEMFC), Neuman claims to have modeled a specific-energy of 800 Wh/kg in his design study at an impressive 55 percent efficiency. With this set-up, Vapor is expected to be capable of 800 nautical miles (1,482 km) at a cruising speed of around 150 knots (278 km/h).

 

 

Undergraduate Level

Blade

In first place in this category is a design produced by a team of students from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). The design is more conventional with twin wing-mounted motors. A puller-propeller concept intended to be built using composite materials, the electric power-plants are intended to be driven by a bank of rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries.

Ethan Kellogg and team members produced a performance design claim of 135 knot (250 km/h) cruising speed and a range of 520 nautical miles (963 km) for Bladessa. With 270 horsepower (200 Kw) on tap, the Bladessa design is intended to have a maximum take-off weight of around 4,200 lb (1,900 kg), including up to 700 lb (317 kg) of payload.

Again, laminar flows have been carefully modeled to achieve maximum efficiency and minimum drag on and around the fuselage of the aircraft.

Areion

In second place was another UC Davis design, this time a pusher-propeller type with a forward canard. Presumably named after the winged immortal horse born to the goddess Demeter, this contender's configuration is also designed to decrease the area and drag of the main wing by using a blended airfoil design and a set of imaginatively-named hyperelastic flaperons.

According to the team led by fourth year undergraduate, Louis Edelman, this enables the usage of Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) technology to reduce energy requirements over the flight envelope.

Again an all-electric aircraft, power and flight characteristic details are sparse, but the team does say that it would be a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell that provided the energy.

BeamTree PH-10

Bringing up third place in the list of winners was a design from a team at Virginia Tech. With a 48.5 ft (14.7 m) wingspan, an AC induction motor, and three lithium-ion battery packs, the BeamTree PH-10 is designed to be capable of a cruise speed of 175 knots (325 km/h) for an impressive distance of 783 nautical miles (1,450 km).

The large mass of the electric propulsion system was the main design driver for the Virginia Tech team who envisaged a tadpole fuselage to reduce profile drag along with winglets to help better aerodynamic efficiency.

SCUBA Stingray

Rounding out the top five is the SCUBA Stingray design – yet another entrant from UC Davis – which received an honorable mention. Designed to use a cutting-edge hybrid aluminum-air/lithium ion battery system for long range and heavy payload capacity.

Design specifications include a four-passenger carrying capacity, along with a claimed range of at least 500 nautical miles (926 km), carrying a payload in excess of 400 lb (180 kg), all while cruising at a speed greater than 130 knots (240 km/h).

The outstanding design aspects of the Stingray, according to the team, are tapered primary and horizontal wings, fixed tricycle landing gear, along with a substantial T-tail empennage.

According to NASA, the ideas of these students are more than mere academic exercises; research at the space agency in aeronautics also includes finding ways to cut back on fossil fuel dependence and reduce the aviation sector's pollution emissions, including lessening noise around airports.

"The research and critical thinking that went into each of these designs was very impressive," said Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics. "It's clear there is a new generation of aeronautical innovators nearly ready to make their mark on the future of aviation."

Winners of this challenge will be invited to visit NASA in October to present their work.

Source: NASA

 

Preparing for the ubiquitous technologies of tomorrow

 



Flexible electronic chip bends between two fingers.

NSF enlists National Academies experts to envision future multidisciplinary engineering research.

August 5, 2015

What is needed to create ubiquitous future technologies that will enable new industries, and who will create them?

Currently, NSF Engineering Research Centers address a variety of engineering and technological challenges as they pursue transformational research, education and innovation outcomes. This model has resulted in significant national returns on investment for 30 years.

In consideration of significant, ongoing changes -- in science, engineering, education, economics, demographics, and the global landscape -- the National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to ensure future engineering research centers will continue to benefit the nation.

To do so, the NSF Directorate for Engineering has awarded a grant to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences for a study to determine what center-based research, education and innovation models could be the most effective as the U.S. and global landscapes undergo future shifts.

“Our Engineering Research Centers, first developed nearly 30 years ago with the help of the National Academies, have yielded great advances in manufacturing, communications, biomedical, and other sectors,” said Pramod Khargonekar, NSF assistant director for engineering. “Now we are thinking of the next 30 years, and how to ensure that our center-scale investments in engineering research, innovation and education continue to create innovators and catalyze new technologies and industries for the benefit of all Americans.”

"This announcement highlights a continuation of over three decades of collaboration between the National Science Foundation and National Academy of Engineering on multidisciplinary, center-based engineering research, development and innovation,” said NAE president C. D. Mote, Jr. “Collaborations that advance multidisciplinary engineering and develop talent for the great problems of our time are mandatory for leadership in this world of accelerating change."

During the next two years, forward-thinking experts appointed by the presidents of the NAE and National Academy of Sciences will envision potential future opportunities, missions, measures and models for engineering research centers.

The committee will evaluate center designs and features for their ability to achieve breakthrough, multidisciplinary discoveries and innovations and to prepare an inclusive, innovative engineering workforce for success.

They will also anticipate forms of university-industry partnerships that will spur translational research and accelerate real-world deployment in the future, allowing centers to maximize their contributions to the innovation ecosystem in the coming decades.

As part of their collection of data and perspectives, the committee of experts anticipates holding a public symposium in 2016. At the end of the project, the committee will publish a peer-reviewed report.

Media Contacts
Sarah Bates, NSF, (703) 292-7738, sabates@nsf.gov
Nicole Flores, National Academy of Engineering, (202) 334-2226, nflores@nae.edu

Program Contacts
Garie Fordyce, NSF, (703) 292-4603, gfordyce@nsf.gov
Sohi Rastegar, NSF, (703) 292-5379, srastega@nsf.gov

Principal Investigator
James Lancaster, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, jlancaster@nas.edu

Related Websites
Previous engineering research center study by National Academies: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://www.nap.edu/catalog/616/the-new-engineering-research-centers-purposes-goals-and-expectations

"This announcement highlights a continuation of over three decades of collaboration between the National Science Foundation and National Academy of Engineering on multidisciplinary, center-based engineering research, development and innovation,” said NAE president C. D. Mote, Jr. “Collaborations that advance multidisciplinary engineering and develop talent for the great problems of our time are mandatory for leadership in this world of accelerating change."

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2015, its budget is $7.3 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 48,000 competitive proposals for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. NSF also awards about $626 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

 

Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov
NSF News: http://www.nsf.gov/news/
For the News Media: http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsroom.jsp
Science and Engineering Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards Searches: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/