How to Spot an Influential Paper Based on its Citations
(PhysOrg.com) -- At first it may seem that the number of citations received by a published scientific paper is directly related to that paper's quality of content. The higher the quality, the more people read and cite that paper. However, the number of citations received by a paper depends more on when that paper was published; papers published early in a new field receive many more citations than those published later on. Although this effect has previously been known, a recent study has tested and verified the so-called "first mover advantage" with data from selected fields. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:30:20 +0200
Costa Rica tops happiness, 'green living' poll
Costa Rica is the happiest place on earth, and one of the most environmentally friendly, according to a new survey by a British non-governmental group. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:28:10 +0200
Calif. regulators warn of pot's cancer capability
(AP) -- It might take Californians a puff or two to get their heads around an apparent contradiction recently enshrined in state law. The same marijuana smoke that doctors can recommend to ease cancer patients' suffering must soon come with a warning saying it causes the disease. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:21:13 +0200
Omg! Positive tone boosts Yahoo celeb site to top
(AP) -- Think of the most popular brands in celebrity news, and you'll probably come up with a small list that includes Entertainment Tonight, US Weekly and People. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:19:34 +0200
Thai zoo's 1st baby panda goes on display
(AP) -- Thousands of excited visitors flocked Saturday to a zoo in northern Thailand for the first public viewing of a baby panda, which has been featured on Thai front pages almost every day since her birth six weeks ago. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:18:15 +0200
Brightsurf Science
News and Current Science Events
Lack of sleep could be more dangerous for women than men
Women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:32:13 +0200
Earth's most prominent rainfall feature creeping northward
The rain band near the equator that determines the supply of freshwater to nearly a billion people throughout the tropics and subtropics has been creeping north for more than 300 years. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:32:13 +0200
New clue into how brain stem cells develop into cells which repair damaged tissue
The joint research, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the UK MS Society as well as the National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, was conducted by scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and University of Cambridge and was published today (01 July) in the journal Genes and Development. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:32:13 +0200
Desert rhubarb -- a self-irrigating plant
Researchers from the Department of Science Education-Biology at the University of Haifa-Oranim have managed to make out the "self-irrigating" mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in this region based on the quantities of rain in the desert. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:32:13 +0200
How to Spot an Influential Paper Based on its Citations
(PhysOrg.com) -- At first it may seem that the number of citations received by a published scientific paper is directly related to that paper's quality of content. The higher the quality, the more people read and cite that paper. However, the number of citations received by a paper depends more on when that paper was published; papers published early in a new field receive many more citations than those published later on. Although this effect has previously been known, a recent study has tested and verified the so-called "first mover advantage" with data from selected fields. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:30:20 EST
Costa Rica tops happiness, 'green living' poll
Costa Rica is the happiest place on earth, and one of the most environmentally friendly, according to a new survey by a British non-governmental group. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:28:10 EST
Calif. regulators warn of pot's cancer capability
(AP) -- It might take Californians a puff or two to get their heads around an apparent contradiction recently enshrined in state law. The same marijuana smoke that doctors can recommend to ease cancer patients' suffering must soon come with a warning saying it causes the disease. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:21:13 EST
Omg! Positive tone boosts Yahoo celeb site to top
(AP) -- Think of the most popular brands in celebrity news, and you'll probably come up with a small list that includes Entertainment Tonight, US Weekly and People. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:19:34 EST
Thai zoo's 1st baby panda goes on display
(AP) -- Thousands of excited visitors flocked Saturday to a zoo in northern Thailand for the first public viewing of a baby panda, which has been featured on Thai front pages almost every day since her birth six weeks ago. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:18:15 EST
ScienceDaily: Nature News
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:05:01 EDT
Pacific Northwest Forests Could Store More Carbon, Help Address Greenhouse Issues
The forests of the Pacific Northwest hold significant potential to increase carbon storage and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in coming years, a recent study concludes, if they are managed primarily for that purpose through timber harvest reductions and increased rotation ages. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT
Small Heat-Shielded Habitats Could Help Threatened Species Survive Climate Change
Intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change. The creation of small heat-shielded habitats and better links between habitats would counteract a moderate temperature increase, and give threatened species more time to adapt better and/or to migrate to cooler regions. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT
Plants Save The Earth From An Icy Doom
When glaciers advanced over much of the Earth's surface during the last ice age, what kept the planet from freezing over entirely? This has been a puzzle to climate scientists because leading models have indicated that over the past 24 million years geological conditions should have caused carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to plummet, possibly leading to runaway "icehouse" conditions. Now researchers report on the missing piece of the puzzle -- plants. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT
Ferns Took To The Trees And Thrived
As flowering plants like giant trees quickly rose to dominate plant communities during the Cretaceous period, the ferns that had preceded them hardly saw it as a disappointment. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT
King Crabs Go Deep To Avoid Hot Water
Researchers have drawn together 200 years' worth of oceanographic knowledge to investigate the distribution of a notorious deep-sea giant - the king crab. The results reveal temperature as a driving force behind the divergence of a major seafloor predator; globally, and over tens of millions of years of Earth's history. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT
NASA Updates Shuttle Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details
News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., have been updated for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT
NASA Astronaut Starts Agency's First Bilingual Twitter
NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, set to fly aboard space shuttle Discovery in August, is providing insights about his training on Twitter in both English and Spanish. It will be the agency's first bilingual Twitter. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT
NASA's Fermi Telescope Probes Dozens of Pulsars
With NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, astronomers now are getting their best look at those whirling stellar cinders known as pulsars. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT
Astronauta de Nasa Comienza el Primer Twitter Biling?e de la Agencia Espacial
El astronauta de NASA Jos? Hern?ndez, quien volar? a bordo del Transbordador Espacial Discovery en Agosto, nos permitir? ver los detalles de su entrenamiento por medio de un "Twitter" en Ingles y en Espa?ol Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT
NASA TV to Broadcast Space Station Crew's Move of Return Craft
Three members of the International Space Station crew will board a Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station and move it to a different docking port on Thursday, July 2. The journey will be broadcast live on NASA Television. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT
NASA Holds Test to Verify Endeavour Tank Repairs
NASA will conduct a tanking test at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, July 1, to ensure repairs to space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank were successful. Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT
Childhood physical abuse linked to cancer
Childhood physical abuse is associated with elevated rates of cancer in adulthood, according to a new study by University of Toronto researchers. (2009-06-26) Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:32:16 +0200
How to Spot an Influential Paper Based on its Citations
(PhysOrg.com) -- At first it may seem that the number of citations received by a published scientific paper is directly related to that paper's quality of content. The higher the quality, the more people read and cite that paper. However, the number of citations received by a paper depends more on when that paper was published; papers published early in a new field receive many more citations than those published later on. Although this effect has previously been known, a recent study has tested and verified the so-called "first mover advantage" with data from selected fields. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:30:20 EST
Physicists Demonstrate Quantum Memory with Matter Qubits
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, scientists have successfully operated a quantum gate between two remote particles of matter, marking an important step toward the development of a quantum computer. In previous experiments, researchers have used photons, which are difficult to store. Using matter qubits enables the researchers to store the obtained quantum information, opening up new possibilities for the generation of remote networks of entangled qubits. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:40:56 EST
Researchers unite to distribute quantum keys
Researchers from across Europe have united to build the largest quantum key distribution network ever built. The efforts of 41 research and industrial organisations were realised as secure, quantum encrypted information was sent over an eight node, mesh network. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:50:19 EST
Unexpectedly Long-Range Effects in Advanced Magnetic Devices
(PhysOrg.com) -- A tiny grid pattern has led materials scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Institute of Solid State Physics in Russia to an unexpected finding -the surprisingly strong and long-range effects of certain electromagnetic nanostructures used in data storage. Their recently reported findings may add new scientific challenges to the design and manufacture of future ultra-high density data storage devices. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:50:57 EST
Data-Taking Dress Rehearsal Proves World`s Largest Computing Grid is Ready for LHC Restart
(PhysOrg.com) -- The world`s largest computing grid has passed its most comprehensive tests to date in anticipation of the restart of the world`s most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The successful dress rehearsal proves that the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) is ready to analyze and manage real data from the massive machine. The United States is a vital partner in the development and operation of the WLCG, with 15 universities and three U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories from 11 states contributing to the project. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:50:01 EST
Honeybee mobs overpower hornets
Bees smother hornets in a "bee ball" that kills the giant predators with heat and carbon dioxide. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:48:02 GMT
Honour given to 'UK astronauts'
The five British-born individuals who have flown in space are being honoured with a commemorative pin. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:38:11 GMT
No safe haven for rarest antelope
Hopes are dashed that some of the few remaining hirola antelope have managed to colonise new, safer territory. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:40:19 GMT
Moon probe returns first images
The US space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft sends back its first images since reaching the Moon. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:55:17 GMT
Climate change is shrinking sheep
Climate change is causing a breed of wild sheep in Scotland to shrink, according to research in the journal Science. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:38:03 GMT
The scope of these chapters reflects the strong influence that Sandra Wood Scarrs scholarshipher empirical research and theoretical contributionshas had on what we know about experience and development via the lens of the psychological sciences, especially the fields of developmental psychology, behavior genetics, early education and child care.
Social Dilemmas, Social Values, and Ethical Judgments
Edited by Roderick M. Kramer, Ann Tenbrunsel, Max H. Bazerman
This book, in honor of David Messick, is about social decisions and the role cooperation plays in social life. Noted contributors who worked with Dave over the years will discuss their work in social judgment, decision making and ethics which was so important to Dave.
The book offers a unique and valuable contribution to the fields of social psychology and organizational behavior. Ethical decision making, a central focus of this volume, is highly relevant to current scholarship and research in both disciplines. The volume will be suitable for graduate level courses in organizational behavior, social psychology, business ethics, and sociology.
Letter Recognition: From Perception to Representation
A Special Issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology
Edited by Matthew Finkbeiner, Max Coltheart
Detailed computational modelling of reading has been much pursued in the past twenty years, and several specific computational models of visual word recognition and reading aloud have been developed. These models offer computational accounts of many aspects of reading, but all have neglected the front end of the reading process, saying essentially nothing about how early visual processes operate during reading and little about how the nature of letter representations and how these are activated from print. This volume aims to begin to redress this neglect of the front end of the reading system.
The first three articles address issues of letter perception: i.e. how letter representations are activated from their visual features. The remaining four articles address the nature of the letter representations themselves, from functional, developmental and neural perspectives. These articles introduce novel and interesting ways to investigate the very earliest stages of the reading process. The research reported here will stimulate future investigations of this highly tractable, yet long overlooked, area of reading research. In particular, it should assist attempts to develop computational models of reading to make more realistic proposals about the actual computations involved in the activation of letter representations from print.
People interact and perform in group settings in all areas of life. Organizations and businesses are increasingly structuring work around groups and teams. Every day, we work in groups such as families, friendship groups, societies and sports teams, to make decisions and plans, solve problems, perform physical tasks, generate creative ideas, and more.
Group Performance outlines the current state of social psychological theories and findings concerning the performance of groups. It explores the basic theories surrounding group interaction and development and investigates how groups affect their members. Bernard Nijstad discusses these issues in relation to the many different tasks that groups may perform, including physical tasks, idea generation and brainstorming, decision-making, problem-solving and making judgments and estimates. Finally, the book closes with an in-depth discussion of teamwork and the context in which groups interact and perform.
Offering an integrated approach, with particular emphasis on the interplay between group members, the group task, interaction processes and context, this book provides a state-of-the-art overview of social psychological theory and research. It will be highly valuable to undergraduates, graduates and researchers in social psychology, organizational behavior and business.
Edited by Sabine Otten, Kai Sassenberg, Thomas Kessler
This volume gives a survey of the most recent developments and trends in intergroup research. Diverging from classical approaches that looked at diverse needs and motives (positive distinctiveness, belongingness, etc), the present book focuses not only on the question what motivates intergroup behaviour, but especially on how the motivation of intergroup behaviour functions.
The book focuses on the role of emotion and motivation in the development of intergroup conflict, social exclusion, tolerance and other group related phenomena. The sections demonstrate how classical theories in the field have been further developed, enriched, and more sophisticatedly tested over the years, and summarise research on affect and memory. They also develop a group based self-regulation approach, examine several specific emotions as motivational forces of intergroup behaviour, and look at factors of intergroup relations that lead to social change.
The chapters are short and easy-to-comprehend summaries referring to a broad range of original work, providing a useful resource for advanced students of Social Psychology and researchers in the field of intergroup relations.
