New genre of 'intelligent' micro- and nanomotors

Jan. 30, 2013 ? Enzymes, workhorse molecules of life that underpin almost every biological process, may have a new role as "intelligent" micro- and nanomotors with applications in medicine, engineering and other fields. That's the topic of a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, showing that single molecules of common enzymes can generate enough force to cause movement in specific directions.

Peter J. Butler, Ayusman Sen and colleagues point out that enzymes -- proteins that jump-start chemical reactions -- are the basis of natural biological motors essential to life. Scientists long have wondered whether a single enzyme molecule, the smallest machine that could possibly exist, might be able to generate enough force to cause its own movement in a specific direction. "Positive answers to these questions," they explain, "have important implications in areas ranging from biological transport to the design of 'intelligent,' enzyme-powered, autonomous nano- and micromotors, which are expected to find applications in bottom-up assembly of structures, pattern formation, cargo (drug) delivery at specific locations, roving sensors and related functions."

They provide the positive answers in experiments with two common enzymes called catalase and urease. Catalase protects the body from harmful effects of hydrogen peroxide formed naturally in the course of life. Urease, found in many plants, converts urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide. The researchers show that these two enzymes, in the presence of their respective substrate (hydrogen peroxide or urea, which acts as fuel), show movement. More significantly, the movement becomes directional through the imposition of a substrate gradient, a form of chemotaxis. Chemotaxis is what attracts living things toward sources of food. The researchers also show that movement causes chemically interconnected enzymes to be drawn together; a form of predator-prey behavior at the nanoscale.

The authors acknowledge funding from The Pennsylvania State University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center supported by the National Science Foundation.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

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Journal Reference:

1. Samudra Sengupta, Krishna K. Dey, Hari S. Muddana, Tristan Tabouillot, Michael E. Ibele, Peter J. Butler, Ayusman Sen. Enzyme Molecules as Nanomotors. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2013; 135 (4): 1406 DOI: 10.1021/ja3091615

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/BK1GdCoclRU/130130121647.htm

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Study sees prostate cancer treatment side effects

A new study shows how important it is for men to carefully consider treatments for early-stage prostate cancer. Fifteen years after surgery or radiation treatment, nearly all of the older men in the study had some problems having sex.

About one-fifth had bladder or bowel trouble, researchers found.

The study doesn't compare these men ? who were 70 to 89 at the end of the study ? to others who did not treat their cancers or to older men without the disease. At least one study suggests that half that age group has sexual problems even when healthy.

The study isn't a rigorous test of surgery and radiation, but it is the longest follow-up of some men who chose those treatments.

Since early prostate cancers usually don't prove fatal but there are no good ways to tell which ones really need treatment, men must be realistic about side effects they might suffer, said one study leader, Dr. David Penson of Vanderbilt University.

"They need to look at these findings and say, 'Oh my gosh, no matter what I choose, I'm going to have some quality-of-life effect and it's probably greater than my doctor is telling me,'" he said.

The study appears in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. In the United States alone, there were about 240,000 new cases and 28,000 deaths from the disease last year. Radiation or surgery to remove the prostate are common treatments when the disease is confined to the gland.

Men usually live a long time after treatment ? 14 years on average ? so it's important to see how they fare, said another study leader, Vanderbilt's Dr. Matthew Resnick.

The study involved 1,655 men diagnosed in 1994 or 1995, when they were ages 55 to 74. About two-thirds of them had surgery and the rest, radiation. They were surveyed two, five and 15 years later. By that time, 569 had died.

Men who had surgery had more problems in the first few years after their treatments than those given radiation, but by the end of the study, there was no big difference.

After 15 years, 18 percent of the surgery group and 9 percent of the radiation group reported urinary incontinence, and 5 percent of the surgery group and 16 percent of the radiation group said they were bothered by bowel problems. But the differences between the two groups could have occurred by chance alone once researchers took other factors such as age and the size of the men's tumors into account.

Impotence was "near universal" at 15 years, the authors write ? 94 percent of the radiation group and 87 percent of the surgery group. But the difference between the groups also was considered possibly due to chance. Also, less than half of men said they were bothered by their sexual problems.

"These men do get some help from pills like Viagra, Cialis, Levitra," but it may not be as much as they would like and most men would rather not need those pills, Penson said.

The National Cancer Institute paid for the study. Two authors have consulted for several makers of prostate cancer treatment drugs.

No study is perfect and this one has many limitations, said Dr. Timothy Wilson, urology chief at City of Hope, a cancer center in Duarte, Calif. Men who are having problems are more likely to complete follow-up surveys because they're angry, so that could skew results, he noted.

Still, "it's a high percentage" with side effects, said Wilson, who has been a paid speaker for two makers of surgery equipment.

"There's no question we overtreat" many cases of early prostate cancer, yet the disease is still the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in men. "We need to better sort out who really needs treatment," he said.

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Online:

New England Journal: http://www.nejm.org

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Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-sees-prostate-cancer-treatment-side-effects-222544696.html

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Neighbors: Suspect in Ala. standoff was violent

Heavily armed men move away from the suspects home at the scene of a Dale County hostage scene in Midland City, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Authorities were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say on Tuesday intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home in Alabama. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh) NO SALES

Heavily armed men move away from the suspects home at the scene of a Dale County hostage scene in Midland City, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Authorities were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say on Tuesday intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home in Alabama. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh) NO SALES

Heavily armed men come back down the hill from the direction of the suspect's home at the Dale County hostage scene near Ozark, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Police SWAT teams and hostage negotiators were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh) NO SALES

Police SWAT teams and hostage negotiators are gathered at standoff and hostage scene in Dale County near Ozark, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Authorities were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say on Tuesday intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home in Alabama. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh) (AP Photo/The Montgomery Advertiser, ) NO SALES

Police vehicles are staged near where a gunman has positioned himself below ground with a child hostage, in Midland City, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Authorities were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say on Tuesday intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home in Alabama. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh)

Police SWAT teams and hostage negotiators are gathered at standoff and hostage scene in Dale County near Ozark, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Authorities were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say on Tuesday intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home in Alabama. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh) (AP Photo/The Montgomery Advertiser, ) NO SALES

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) ? Jimmy Lee Dykes moved to a rural Alabama neighborhood on a rutted red clay road more than a year ago. It didn't take long before he had developed a frightening reputation as a volatile man with anti-government views who threatened his neighbors at gunpoint and was viciously violent to wandering pets.

Multiple neighbors said Dykes, a 65-year-old retired truck driver, was the man suspected of boarding a school bus full of children near his home, killing the driver and taking one 5-year-old boy hostage to open a standoff that entered its second full day Thursday.

The neighborhood near Midland City, population 2,300, remained under siege after the Tuesday shooting, with the suspect and child holed up in a bunker-type shelter on the man's property that was equipped with electricity, food and TV.

On Thursday, dozens of police cars and rental cars that had brought FBI agents to the site were parked about the state highway at the clay road's entrance. A large law enforcement truck also pulled up before dawn to a staging area for law enforcement agents that was lit by bright lights overnight.

At least one ambulance was parked nearby and numerous television news satellite trucks also lined up across the rural highway.

Homes on the road had been evacuated earlier after authorities found what they believed to be a bomb on the property. SWAT teams earlier had taken up positions around the gunman's property and police negotiators tried to win the kindergartener's safe release.

The situation remained unchanged for hours as negotiators continued talking to the suspect, Alabama State Trooper Charles Dysart told a news conference late Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Sheriff Wally Olson said that authorities had "no reason to believe that the child has been harmed."

Local TV station WDHN obtained a police dispatch recording of the moment officers first arrived at the site. On it, the officers are heard saying that they were trying to communicate with Dykes through a PVC pipe leading into the shelter.

Authorities gave no details of the standoff, and it was unclear if Dykes made any demands from the bunker, which resembled a tornado shelter.

State Rep. Steve Clouse, who met with authorities and visited the boy's family, said the bunker had food and electricity, and the youngster was watching TV.

At one point, authorities lowered medicine into the bunker for the boy after his captor agreed to it, Clouse said.

The standoff began after school Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff Wally Olson said the man shot the bus driver several times when he refused to hand over the child. The gunman then took the boy away.

"As far as we know there is no relation at all. He just wanted a child for a hostage situation," said Michael Senn, a pastor who helped comfort other traumatized children after the attack.

The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. Authorities say most of the students scrambled to the back of the bus when the gunman boarded and said he wanted two boys 6 to 8 years old.

But when the gunman went down the aisle, authorities said, Poland put his arm out to grab a pole near the front steps of the vehicle, trying to block the suspect. That's when authorities say the driver was shot four times before the gunman grabbed the child at random and fled.

Asked about Dykes, neighbors said he was a man who once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a shotgun.

He had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning to answer charges he shot at his neighbors in a dispute last month over a speed bump.

Mike and Patricia Smith, who live across the street from Dykes and whose two children were on the bus, said their youngsters had a run-in with him about 10 months ago.

"My bulldogs got loose and went over there," Patricia Smith said. "The children went to get them. He threatened to shoot them if they came back."

"He's very paranoid," her husband said. "He goes around in his yard at night with a flashlight and shotgun."

Another neighbor, Ronda Wilbur, said Dykes beat her 120-pound dog with a lead pipe for coming onto his side of the dirt road. The dog died a week later.

"He said his only regret was he didn't beat him to death all the way," Wilbur said. "If a man can kill a dog, and beat it with a lead pipe and brag about it, it's nothing until it's going to be people."

Dykes had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to face a charge of menacing some neighbors as they drove by his house weeks ago. Claudia Davis said he yelled and fired shots at her, her son and her baby grandson over damage Dykes claimed their pickup truck did to a makeshift speed bump in the dirt road. No one was hurt.

"Before this happened, I would see him at several places and he would just stare a hole through me," Davis said. "On Monday I saw him at a laundromat and he seen me when I was getting in my truck, and he just stared and stared and stared at me."

__

Associated Press writers Bob Johnson in Montgomery and Jay Reeves in Birmingham contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-31-US-School-Bus-Driver-Shot/id-7efdcbebc8b941f2aa63ba36e172e3a5

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Is Your Job Search Like a Bad Super Bowl Commercial? | The ...

Every year, big brands bring together the best minds in advertising. Their mission: to create one television commercial good enough to air during the Super Bowl of advertising: the Super Bowl.

To ensure they make the ?Best of?? lists that appear on Monday, advertisers plug in as many pop references and celebrities as possible. After months of effort, the spots are presented to the ?judges? on the world?s stage, 30 seconds at a time.

For some, the investment is well worth the effort ? their brand gets a huge boost in recognition and sales; some even rise to the top. Others spend a lot of time, energy and money ? and fail to impress? sometimes miserably. (Remember Groupon?s ads from a couple years ago?)

How does this scenario compare to your job search?

You spend months perfecting on your resume, often bringing in the best minds within your sphere of influence (usually a significant other, roommate or parent). You scour the web for resume templates and accompanying cover letters for what you believe the audience will most appreciate ? complete with buzzwords and influential name-drops. When you?re sure your presentation is complete, you submit to the judges: the gatekeepers, recruiters and human resources.

After all this effort, if the judges don?t view you as the best ? and place the other contenders well above you on their version of a ?Best of?? list ? you?ll need to try again. And again. And again.

To carry this analogy further?

Do you think the companies whose commercials get widely panned this year will use the same agency and talent for next year?s Super Bowl? Not likely. They?ll bring in new creatives, experts and support teams. They?ll do much better research on what works and what doesn?t. They?ll learn from their mistakes.

They won?t fail again.

If your job search is struggling, and you consistently find yourself falling short as a would-be contender, you may want to take the same approach:

• Using someone other than your significant other, roomie or mother for review ? repackage your resume, cover letter and online presence

• Consult a professional career expert to help with your interview techniques and to introduce best practices that work in today?s competitive job market

• Before submitting even one more application, research the company and the hiring manager/recruiter ? learn what works for them, and what doesn?t ? and customize your message accordingly; perhaps even build a networking relationship with someone already working at the company

• Quit beating your head against the wall hoping ?this one will be different? ? it won?t, until you make it different ? by learning from your mistakes

Don?t go into your next ?big game? with yet another message that won?t appeal to the audience. Prepare now ? start over if necessary, again and again. The next time you interview, you just may find yourself on the ?best? list.

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About the Author: CEO and Founder of YouTern, Mark Babbitt is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. Mark has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Mashable, Forbes and Under30CEO.com regarding job search, career development, internships and higher education?s role in preparing emerging talent for the workforce. A keynote speaker and blogger, Mark?s contributions include Huffington Post, Switch and Shift, The Daily Muse and Under30CEO.

Mark has been honored to be named to GenJuice?s list of ?Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors? and was recently featured on HR Examiner?s ?Top 25 Trendspotters in HR? and several top blogger lists, including JobMob?s ?Top Career Bloggers of 2012?. Contact Mark via email or on Twitter!

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Slow-release 'jelly' delivers drugs better

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Duke University biomedical engineers have developed a new delivery system that overcomes the shortcomings of a promising class of peptide drugs -- very small proteins -- for treating diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

There are more than 40 peptide drugs approved for use in humans and more than 650 are being tested in clinical studies. One example is the hormone insulin, a peptide that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body and is used as a drug to treat diabetes.

Despite their effectiveness, peptide drugs cannot achieve their full potential for a number of reasons. They are rapidly degraded in the blood stream and they are cleared rapidly from the body, which requires multiple, frequent injections. Because of this, peptide concentrations in the blood can rise precipitously just after injection and fall dramatically soon thereafter, causing unwanted side effects for patients.

One popular method to solve this problem involves loading peptide drugs into polymer microspheres that are injected under the skin and slowly degrade to release the peptide drug. Microsphere-release technology has proven useful, but has many issues related to its manufacture and ease of patient use, the researchers said.

"We wanted to know if we could create a system that does what the polymer microspheres do, but gets rid of the microspheres and is more patient-friendly," said Ashutosh Chilkoti, Theo Pilkington professor of biomedical engineering in Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.

The new approach involves making a "fusion protein" that consists of multiple copies of a peptide drug fused to a polymer which is sensitive to body heat. The fusion molecule is a liquid in a syringe but transforms into a "jelly" when injected under the skin. Enzymes in the skin then attack the injected drug depot and liberate copies of the peptide, providing a constant and controllable release of the drug over time.

Miriam Amiram, former Chilkoti graduate student and first author on the paper, dubbed the new delivery system POD, for protease-operated depot.

In the latest experiments, published on-line in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers fused glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that regulates the release of insulin, with a genetically engineered heat-sensitive polymer to create the POD.

"Remarkably, a single injection of the GLP-1 POD was able to reduce blood glucose levels in mice for up to five days, which is 120 times longer than an injection of the peptide alone," Chilkoti said. "For a patient with type 2 diabetes, it would be much more desirable to inject such a drug once a week or once a month rather than once or twice a day.

"Additionally, this approach avoids the peaks and valleys of drug concentrations that these patients often experience," Chilkoti said.

Unlike peptide-loaded microspheres, PODs are also easy to manufacture, because the peptide drug and the heat-sensitive polymer are all made of amino acids. They can be built as one long stretch of amino acids by engineered bacteria.

"This new delivery system provides the first entirely genetically encoded alternative to peptide drug encapsulation for sustained delivery of peptide drugs," Chilkoti said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Duke University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Miriam Amiram, Kelli M. Luginbuhl, Xinghai Li, Mark N. Feinglos, and Ashutosh Chilkoti. Injectable protease-operated depots of glucagon-like peptide-1 provide extended and tunable glucose control. PNAS, January 28, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1214518110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/ClVrXej8tIo/130128151919.htm

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Cops shoot dogs in front of Pennsylvania high school

By Hasani Gittens, News Editor, NBC News

A dog fight ended with a hail of bullets in a Philadelphia suburb, leaving residents shocked and looking for answers.

The incident started on Friday at around noon when a stray dog got into a pickup truck at a red light in Chester, Pa., and began fighting with another pooch, NBCPhiladelphia.com?reported.

Cops were called when the dogs couldn't be separated, and when they arrived, witnesses were stunned at the reaction. One officer shot at the dogs five times with a pistol, then another fired one blast from a shotgun.?

And this all went down right in front of Chester High School.

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Tehran Freeman, a dog owner himself who lives down the block from the shooting, captured the incident on video with his cell phone and was outraged at the handling of the situation.

"I don't care how bad they try to make Chester seem, this is not a war zone, you don't do things like that," he told NBCPhiladelphia.com.?

"I thought them as the police should be held to a higher standard and would have some type of procedure for breaking it up than actually pulling out your pistols in front of the high school."

Freeman told NBCNews.com that the bigger, more aggressive dog seemed to be a?pit bull?and had a leash, but the other smaller dog didn't. It was unclear who the owners were.

He said when he saw the police the "last thing that I thought would happen" is that they would open fire with their guns.

"It wasn't secure at all, I know bullets can?ricochet?and anything else -- you're trying to shoot two animals in the back of a metal vehicle, that bullet can go anywhere."

Chester police told NBCPhiladelphia.com that the incident was under investigation and at the time the animal control officer in the city was unavailable.?

Freeman added that some of the cops involved seemed as upset as anyone.?

"One of the officers actually looked very, very shaken up about it," he said.?

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/29/16758026-cops-shoot-dogs-in-front-of-pennsylvania-high-school?lite

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US Justice Department asks FCC to delay Sprint's merger with Softbank (update: Sprint statement)

It appears that Dish wasn't the only one who wants the FCC to put the brakes on Softbank's merger with Sprint. Bloomberg reports that the US Justice Department has just requested that the FCC delay the deal as well. No word on why governmental lawyers are making the request, but we'll update this post as soon as more information is available.

Update: While the DOJ has recommended that the FCC delay its approval of the deal due to national security concerns, it turns out that Dish has decided not to stand against the merger, after all. So, Sprint and Softbank have exchanged a private sector problem for a governmental one. The DOJ's scrutiny certainly provides a significant hurdle for the deal to clear, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the two telcos can never be together. We'll have to wait and see whether Uncle Sam gives the merger its final stamp of approval.

Update 2: Sprint has issued a statement on the matter: 'This is a routine request when working with the CFIUS agencies regarding national security." So, it seems that the folks in Overland Park aren't overly concerned with the DOJ's snooping.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Via: The Verge

Source: Bloomberg (Twitter), Bloomberg

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/29/us-justice-department-fcc-delay-sprint-softbank-merger/

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29th International Blues Challenge in Memphis | WWOZ New ...

While thoes of you in New Orleans are dealing with all the fun that come with Super Bowl, I will be in Memphis (most likely freezing) and participating in the Blues Society's Internation Blues Challenge.

The 2013 International Blues Challenge will be the 29th year of Blues musicians from around the world competing for cash, prizes, and industry recognition. The Blues Foundation will present the 29th International Blues Challenge January 29-February 2, 2013 in Memphis, TN. The world's largest gathering of Blues acts represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations for the Blues Band and Solo/Duo Blues Act ready to take their act to the international stage. In 2012, 119 bands and 86 solo/duo acts entered, filling the clubs up and down Beale Street for the quarter-finals on Wednesday and Thursday, the semi-finals on Friday and the finals at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. We will have at least that many in 2013.

Have a super weekend and I will see you next week

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Source: http://www.wwoz.org/blog/213119?utm_source=wwozfeed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feeds

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For Friendship (closed)

OOC: Hey all,

This is a closed roleplay for myself and Modesty but you're welcome to poke around!

"Calm down, Darina. You are making yourself ill," Evin told the teenage girl hyperventilating as she sat at the edge of the bed while Evin fastened her forest green cloak around her own throat, "Treat this as a normal evening, just like any oth-"
"But it's not! What if something happens to you? What will I do?" All at once, the girl burst into tears, burying her face in her hands. Evin took a deep breath, her patience tested. She loved Darina like a sister, but often her dramatics were exhausting. Evin did not remember being so emotional when she was fourteen. Evin sat down next to the younger girl and put her arm around her. At once Darina's dark curls were in Evin's face as she buried her tears into Evin's shoulder. This was easier when Darina was younger, when she did not understand the situation so fully and when it was easier to hide the rebel's missions from her.

Evin had been taken in by the rebels eighteen years ago. She had been eight years old when her home, a village called Traydon, was destroyed by King Hadrain in an attempt to destroy any magic that he could not control. The village had been filled with some of the last magic-wielders. She was found by some rebels wandering in the forest, a child starving to death. They took her in, unaware of the advantage they would gain by doing so. They did not learn until several years later Evin was an ice mage. Once her talent was discovered, her life changed drastically. Instead of living with the rebel-supporting family that kept orphans, she was taken to what could be considered the headquarters of the rebellion, the disused mines of the Fabia Mountains. Once there, Evin trained with the other young mages the rebels had found in magic, fighting, and stealth until they were deemed "ready," but mostly because their presence was requested for missions. Those who trained the group of seven child mages all excelled in their areas of teaching, but their students did not always become as talented as the masters. Evin herself was a decent ice mage, but was told that in the past when there were many mages she only would have been considered a moderate talent. She knew this to be true as most of the other mages in her group were more talented than she. Evin favored daggers as her weapon of choice because she was quick. Not to mention, she could hide many of them on her person at once. The weight of swords tired her too quickly to make them useful to her. Evin's shot with an arrow was not dreadful, but they had never been her preference. As for stealth, none of the young mages were able to be up to par with the assassin that trained them and eventually decided that the basics would have to do.

Evin had not seen the other mages since they had left the mines, but she did know one of them was dead and another was supposedly a prisoner in King Hadrain's cells. The mages had all been kept separate after their training to make it difficult for King Hadrain to find them all at once. For the next five years, Evin traveled on various missions with a small group of rebels constantly. She was the only mage in the group, living a life of constantly moving from place to place to complete missions. It was on one of those missions that she found Darina much like the rebels had found her as an orphan. One of Darina's older siblings had magic and Hadrain's soldiers were in the process of slaughtering the whole family when Evin and her team burst in with enough time to save Darina, but not her parents or other siblings. She and Evin formed an attachment soon after. Evin refused to send her to the orphanage. She told the rebels that she would take care of the little girl and forced them to give her a new life where she no longer traveled so much. They pressured her to do otherwise, but Evin was firm. She had always done what the rebels told her to do. It was time to do something for herself. That was how the two ended up posing as the nieces of the secretly rebel-supporting innkeepers of The Wayward Traveler. It was fortunate that Evin and Darina looked similar enough to pass as sisters, both with dark hair, though Darina's was riddled with curls and Evin's was straight. Their skin tone matched well enough too, but their eyes were very different. Evin's eyes matched most, dark brown as they were. Darina's eyes, on the other hand, were an icy blue. Evin had always found that ironic, since she was the ice mage of the two.

"Darina," Evin put her hands on the younger girl's shoulder, pushing so Darina's head off of her shoulder would have to face her, "you know I love you. You also know that I have been doing this kind of work for a very long time. You cannot cry like this every time I do something that might be dangerous. You have to be stronger and if you cannot be stronger, you must pretend until you are." Evin kissed her on the forehead while Darina tried to hold back more tears.

Evin was careful to leave out the back door of the inn. No one needed to see The Wayward Traveler's barmaid wearing men's clothing as she disappeared into the forests surrounding the village of Doth. This was not the kind of evening where she worried much about being seen; chilly rain was pouring heavily from the skies combined with an unforgiving wind, making it possible to see only four arms-lengths ahead.

Before long, Evin arrived at the hollowed out tree that was their meeting spot. She was met with dissatisfied looks from the three people she set out to meet. "Darina held me back momentarily. I apologize," Evin told the group as she removed her soaked cloak.
"It's not that," the only other woman responded, "Our tail lost the soldiers in the storm. We have to cancel the mission."
"It's just like you to give up so easily, Juliana!" one of the men huffed, "This mission is perfect for Evin. She could use the water, freeze them! We need to find out what is in that letter! What if that is the key to beating Hadrain once and for all?" He was older, a burly beard covering his angry face.
"I am not sure I could do-" Evin put up her hands as if she could physically pause the conversation, but it continued on without her anyway.
"If we can't find them, we can't do anything!" The woman retorted. She was about the same age as the man she argued with. "It is pointless to risk us traveling out into this weather. They probably changed their course because of it!" Evin met eyes with the red-haired teenage boy that accompanied them and both of them sighed in unison. He was used to these arguments coming from his parents and so was Evin.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/p_gYAWSFces/viewtopic.php

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zindabasa: Education & Reference 2020: The K-12 Implosion ...

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Video: White House focuses on immigration, guns

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50608977/

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Mating Intelligence: Sex, Relationships, and the Mind's Reproductive

posted by fptdaigaku on 28 January | Views: 21 | Category: E-books

Mating Intelligence: Sex, Relationships, and the Mind's Reproductive System
Glenn Geher, Geoffrey Miller,
2007 | pages: 480 | ISBN: 0805857494 | PDF | 3,9 mb

Human intelligence is sexually attractive, and strongly predicts the success of sexual relationships, but the behavioral sciences have usually ignored the interface between intelligence and mating. This is the first serious scholarly effort to explore that interface, by examining both universal and individual differences in human mating intelligence. Contributors include some of the most prominent evolutionary psychologists and promising new researchers in human intelligence, social psychology, intimate relationships, and sexuality.

David Buss??? foreword and the opening chapter explore what ???mating intelligence??? means, and why it is central to human cognition and sexuality. The book???s six sections then examine (1) our mating mechanisms ??? universal emotional and cognitive adaptations for mating intelligently ??? that guide mate search, mate choice, and courtship; (2) how mating intelligence strategically guides our choice of mating tactics and partners given different relationship goals, personality traits, forms of deception, and the existence of children; (3) the genetic and psychiatric causes of individual differences in mating intelligence; (4) how we use mental fitness indicators ??? forms of human intelligence such as creativity, humor, and emotional intelligence ??? to attract and retain sexual partners; (5) the ecological and social contexts of mating intelligence; (6) integrative models of mating intelligence that can guide future research.

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Mating.Intelligence:.Sex,.Relationships,.and.the.Mind's.Reproductive.System posted by fptdaigaku on 08:01:38 28 January

Source: http://0sec.org/ebooks/661694-mating-intelligence-sex-relationships-and-the-minds-reproductive-system.html

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Business Resource: Online Biz Insiders | Third Hand Bookkeeping ...

Posted on 28. Jan, 2013 by Linda in VirtualConnections Newsletter, Windows Resources/Tips

My colleagues, Mary Motz and Carla Wilson, are co-hosts of a weekly internet video show called Online Biz Insiders. I thought you might enjoy it as they share such great resources and tips.

Each week Carla and Mary discuss ?secrets? for running an online business ? every subject from marketing, to operations, to software and resources, to social media and internet marketing. ? Last year, I was a special guest on their show, sharing tips for organizing your financials.

In mid-2012, they moved from an audio-only podcast to using Google+ Hangouts on Air to produce their weekly internet video show. ?Tune in each Thursday morning at 8:30am EST. ?You can watch their show live on Google+ at their page?or at their website at www.OnlineBizInsiders.com. If you can?t watch the show live, visit their page to see archived shows. ?Mary and Carla love feedback and show ideas. ?Feel free to email them at questions@onlinebizinsiders.com. ?Or follow them on Twitter at @onlinebizinsidr.

Tags: Business Strategists, Business Tips, marketing, Online Biz Insiders, social media

Source: http://www.yourextrahand.com/2013/01/online-biz-insiders/

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Remembering Apollo 1, NASA's First Major Disaster

46 years ago today, veteran astronaut Gus Grissom, first American spacewalker Ed White, and rookie Roger Chaffee were killed in a cabin fire during an Apollo 1 launch pad test. The first majorly fatal accident in NASA's history, the fire was caused in part by the cabin's pure oxygen atmosphere and a number of other dangerous design flaws that were correct over the 20 month delay that followed the incident. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/F-CNIWaqofk/remembering-apollo-1-nasas-first-major-disaster

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Screeners of unusual size? I don?t think they exist. (Unqualified Offerings)

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Gingrich: Republicans "clearly have to change" (cbsnews)

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Apple Says Fewer Illegal Teens Now Building Your iPads

It's bad enough when overworked Chinese adults are killing themselves and rioting because of our Apple lust—adding kids under 16 is just awful. But Apple says it's cutting these industrious, exploited kiddos out of the supply chain. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/zj_fqLj2vrQ/apple-says-fewer-illegal-teens-now-building-your-ipads

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WWE NXT's Bo Dallas earned a spot in the Royal Rumble Match

PHOENIX ? Early Saturday morning, Bo Dallas was just another hardworking WWE NXT competitor, fighting for a spot on WWE?s main roster. By late afternoon, he was preparing himself for the 2013 Royal Rumble Match, where he would be tangling with 29 WWE Superstars for an opportunity to challenge for a World Title on The Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania 29.

How did Dallas? fortunes change so dramatically in just a few short hours? Give credit to perseverance and good fortune. The resilient kid from Brooksville, Fla., won an eight-man tournament held during the Royal Rumble Fan Fest to earn a coveted spot in WWE?s classic over-the-top-rope melee. (PHOTOS)

?This doesn?t even feel like real life,? Dallas told WWE.com only moments after his victory. ?I?m hovering above myself and watching this happen. An unreal experience, man.?

Starting out on an unseasonably rainy day in Phoenix, Dallas tested his resolve in three grueling matches over the course of four hours. In the third-generation competitor's way stood big Luke Harper, the unpredictable Conor O?Brian and the devious Leo Kruger ? three of WWE NXT?s most highly touted prospects. (MORE ON NXT?S TOP TALENT) By the time he scored the final pinfall on Kruger, it was clear that the battered Dallas had given everything he had in him to become the first WWE NXT Superstar to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match.

?To be in the history books for anything is amazing,? the dynamo admitted. ?But being the first NXT Superstar to be in the Royal Rumble Match? I don?t know if I?m allowed to say this, but that?s badass!?

Now headed into one of the most pivotal bouts of the year, Dallas no doubt realizes that this rare opportunity could turn him into a sports-entertainment phenomenon overnight. While the Royal Rumble Match has traditionally been won by established Superstars like ?Stone Cold? Steve Austin, John Cena and Shawn Michaels, the chaotic, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants atmosphere of the brawl presents the perfect opportunity for a competitor like the 225-pound youngster to shock the world.

?I?m always the underdog,? he said. ?I never let that get me down. I take the punches, but if there?s one thing I believe, it?s??always get up.? And that?s how I live life.?

Dallas has already made history by becoming the first WWE NXT Superstar to grab a spot in the Royal Rumble Match, but can he do it again by becoming the first WWE NXT Superstar to headline WrestleMania? The WWE Universe will find out Sunday night when 30 Superstars battle for an opportunity at sports-entertainment's richest prize at Royal Rumble.

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2013/wwe-nxts-bo-dallas-earned-a-spot-in-the-royal-rumble-match

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Let's Make It Official With a Press Release: J.J. Abrams to Direct ...

by Perry Michael Simon on January 25, 2013

So, Disney?s made it official that, as we mentioned yesterday, J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Chapter VII. We already knew that Michael Arndt was writing it, and the press release confirms that, along with Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg on board as consultants.

But we can let the press release issued late Friday speak for itself. So, lets:

J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars: Episode VII

J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

?It?s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,? said Kennedy. ?J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.?

George Lucas went on to say ?I?ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He?s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn?t be in better hands.?

?To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,? J.J. Abrams said. ?I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.?

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year?s Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm?s preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

Okay, there it is.? If you haven?t weighed in yet on the prospect of J.J. directing the next chapter, or, for that matter, ostensibly leaving the Star Trek franchise because doing both might be a little problematic, the comments are open.

Source: http://www.nerdist.com/2013/01/lets-make-it-official-with-a-press-release-j-j-abrams-to-direct-star-wars-episode-vii/

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You Can Make Web Page Hosting Work For You! | Website Design ...

TIPS! Be cautious of scammers and hidden fees. A lot of cheap services come with extra hidden fees.

A reliable web host is sometimes hard to come by, particularly if you have multiple needs. Due to the large selection of web hosting companies, it can be difficult to select the best one. Use the information this article provides to help you make an informed decision.

TIPS! Before signing up for a hosting account, peruse the host?s website. A good website should be filled with resources on the different features you will have to learn to use to optimize your site.

Check the amount of maintenance time when the web hosting site has been down. If you intend on using your website to conduct business, downtime is a big problem for your profit margin. Anytime there is downtime, you will not be able to access your account.

TIPS! To maximize your profits for your website, look closely at the web hosting companies that are vying for your business. Rates can range from $2 to $60 per month ? and it?s often the cheaper models that are the most reliable.

There are a few hosting services that will generate a refund for you to offset site downtime. In general, you need to be refunded for sales you couldn?t obtain because of downtime. Make sure that you find a host that has a good uptime instead of looking at the refund policy.

TIPS! Find out more about the background of a web hosting service before purchasing a plan. Don?t take their word for impossible claims without reading lots of customer reviews.

Be sure to compare plans before you sign up for service with a web page hosting company, be sure of what you are actually getting for your money. Web hosts have a variety of packages that include different options for different prices. Always make sure you find out precisely what is offered in the package before you decide to get it. This way you know exactly what you are in for, and you can make sure you get exactly what you need.

TIPS! Carefully review your potential host?s website. Those who cannot design their website well should not be contacted.

Always scrutinize the reasons a company gives for server outages before picking your hosting provider. Some hosting services could use electrical outages as an excuse, or they could come up with other reasons. However, the great services find methods of keeping your site up and running. Even if your service is cheap, do not let them keep your site offline without a good reason.

TIPS! See if they have hidden cancellation fees. Your web host might show it?s true colors quickly, leading you to want to leave.

When seeking a host provider, learn as much as you can aside from reading the material on the host?s website. Find comparison websites and check out reviews to get a clear picture of the host?s quality of service. Outside reviews from the customers show how good the host?s quality is.

TIPS! Free is good, but a free web hosting provider isn?t always the best choice. Free web hosting services usually require you to display ad banners on your website.

Invest in an SSL certificate for both your and your customers? peace of mind. You can make note of your security certificate on the home page of your site. This tells visitors that they can safely make purchases or provide sensitive information through your site portals.

TIPS! Free web hosting is usually not a good idea. While this price can seem very attractive to a limited budget, you may end up outgrowing the boundaries of your web host.

Many website hosting services rely on the services of larger companies. These companies can buy large server spaces at discounts, and rent them for profit to small sites. Know where your site will be hosted, and be confident you are obtaining the best price between two companies using the same servers.

TIPS! When you are selecting a web host, it is best to pick one that has won multiple hosting awards. This gives you a general idea about the host?s technical support and customer service.

Make a list of priorities prior to choosing a web host. If you have a clear idea of what you want and need, it will be easier to compare your available options. Creating a detailed list also prevents you from rushing into a decision based upon only one feature.

TIPS! It is essential that you read reviews for the web hosts that you are considering for your site. Find out what kind of issues web hosting services have encountered and how they have dealt with these situations.

Go through the forum on the site run by your host or potential host. The forums should have a robust and lively community of users, as it is a great indicator of a well-used host. A lack of comments, or only negative chat, indicates it might be unwise to consider the company.

TIPS! Just because a web host company is free, does not mean you should rule it out entirely. There are, of course, plenty of free hosts that fill your site with unwanted advertising, but there are a few free hosts that don?t require you to display any ads whatsoever.

Before you sign up with a web host, make sure they guarantee your satisfaction. Canceling your service should be your right if you aren?t satisfied with what you signed up for within 30 days. Some web hosts may fail to live up to their advertisements.

TIPS! One important web hosting consideration is the amount of server storage space and monthly bandwidth usage that you will need. Determining this means looking at the page you currently have, and considering what your future business needs might be as well.

If you do not have much experience in web design, pick one of the web hosts that has excellent customer service instead of a lot of other extras. As a beginner, you are sure to run into many problems and have lots of questions that are suited for a provider with a good customer service department. You will benefit more from the technical support than the extra fancy applications that other web hosts may offer.

TIPS! Check out what kind of control panel a potential host offers before you sign up. Ideally, a provider should include options for troubleshooting, customer support and tutorials.

Picking the right host from the many available choices can feel a bit overwhelming. With so many things to consider and weigh, narrowing down the field of companies to find the best one for you is confusing. What you?ve read here should assist you by explaining what you need to look for and how to find it in a reputable web host.

Be sure to visit often for more information on web hosting Lake Worth, FL area.

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Court rules Obama's appointments unconstitutional (reuters)

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Gmail demotes Quote Selected Text to Labs to help avoid quotational mishaps

Well, that didn't last long. Gmail's handy new Quote Selected Text has received a serious demotion, getting knocked back down to Labs, due to negative user feedback. According to its creators, the addition was causing too much accidental quotation -- and no one wants that, right? If you find yourself missing the feature, you can still enable it with a little help from Labs. No word on plans to move the feature back up to the bigs.

Filed under: Google

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Source: Google+

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/gmail-quote/

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Facebook responds to recent app blocking criticism with policy 'clarification'

After the whole Vine kerfuffle and Yandex situation, Facebook clearly feels it has some explaining to do. Over at the site's Developer Blog, director, platform partnerships and operations Justin Osofsky would like to set some things straight about the social network's platform policies. He begins by assuring developers that most can just keep on keeping on.

Osofky adds, however,

For a much smaller number of apps that are using Facebook to either replicate our functionality or bootstrap their growth in a way that creates little value for people on Facebook, such as not providing users an easy way to share back to Facebook, we've had policies against this that we are further clarifying today

Those developers (and interested civilians) who'd like to drill down a bit further into those newly clarified policies can check the fine print in the source link below.

Filed under: Facebook

Comments

Source: Facebook Blog, Facebook Platform Policy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/facebook-policy-block/

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Apple co-founder Wozniak says parts of Jobs film "totally wrong"

(Reuters) - Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says a new movie about late chairman Steve Jobs appears to misrepresent aspects of their personalities and their early vision for the company.

Wozniak made his comments ahead of the premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah later on Friday of "jOBS," starring Ashton Kutcher in the title role. It is the first of two feature films about the legendary Apple entrepreneur who died in 2011 at age 56.

The film, to be released in the United States in April, covers Jobs from his early years in the counterculture through his initial successes with Apple and his rise to becoming a household name.

A clip of an early scene was released online on Thursday.

"Totally wrong. ... The ideas of computers affecting society, did not come from Jobs," Wozniak, who co-founded Apple with Jobs and Ronald Wayne in a California garage in 1976, told technology blog Gizmodo.com on Friday.

"His idea was to make a $20 PC board and sell it for $40 to help people at the (Homebrew Computer) club build the computer I'd given away," Wozniak recalled in a series of emails. "The lofty talk came much further down the line."

The Homebrew Computer Club, started in 1975, brought together electronics hobbyists in Silicon Valley including Jobs.

Wozniak, who is played in the movie by "Book of Mormon" musical star Josh Gad, said that, based on the clip, "personalities are very wrong although mine is closer."

"I never looked like a professional. We were both kids. Our relationship was so different than what was portrayed. I'm embarrassed but if the movie is fun and entertaining, all the better," he said, adding he never wore a tie in the early days.

Wozniak emphasized that he was basing his comments on one clip and that it was "just a movie."

"The movie should be very popular and I hope it's entertaining. It may be very correct, as well. This is only one clip. But you'll see the direction they are slanting the movie in, just by the dialog style of this script," he added.

"jOBS," directed by Joshua Michael Stern, will be released in U.S. movie theaters on April 19.

A second movie, based on Walter Isaacson's official biography "Steve Jobs," is in development by screenplay writer Aaron Sorkin of "The West Wing" and "The Social Network" fame. No release date or casting has been announced.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant in Los Angeles; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-co-founder-wozniak-says-parts-jobs-film-203553291--finance.html

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Evolution inspires more efficient solar cell design: Geometric pattern maximizes time light is trapped in solar cell

Jan. 25, 2013 ? The sun's energy is virtually limitless, but harnessing its electricity with today's single-crystal silicon solar cells is extremely expensive -- 10 times pricier than coal, according to some estimates. Organic solar cells -- polymer solar cells that use organic materials to absorb light and convert it into electricity -- could be a solution, but current designs suffer because polymers have less-than-optimal electrical properties.

Researchers at Northwestern University have now developed a new design for organic solar cells that could lead to more efficient, less expensive solar power. Instead of attempting to increase efficiency by altering the thickness of the solar cell's polymer layer -- a tactic that has preciously garnered mixed results -- the researchers sought to design the geometric pattern of the scattering layer to maximize the amount of time light remained trapped within the cell.

Using a mathematical search algorithm based on natural evolution, the researchers pinpointed a specific geometrical pattern that is optimal for capturing and holding light in thin-cell organic solar cells.

The resulting design exhibited a three-fold increase over the Yablonovitch Limit, a thermodynamic limit developed in the 1980s that statistically describes how long a photon can be trapped in a semiconductor.

In the newly designed organic solar cell, light first enters a 100-nanometer-thick "scattering layer," a geometrically-patterned dielectric layer designed to maximize the amount of light transmitted into the cell. The light is then transmitted to the active layer, where it is converted into electricity.

"We wanted to determine the geometry for the scattering layer that would give us optimal performance," said Cheng Sun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and co-author of the paper. "But with so many possibilities, it's difficult to know where to start, so we looked to laws of natural selection to guide us."

The researchers employed a genetic algorithm, a search process that mimics the process of natural evolution, explained Wei Chen, Wilson-Cook Professor in Engineering Design and professor of mechanical engineering at McCormick and co-investigator of the research.

"Due to the highly nonlinear and irregular behavior of the system, you must use an intelligent approach to find the optimal solution," Chen said. "Our approach is based on the biologically evolutionary process of survival of the fittest."

The researchers began with dozens of random design elements, then "mated" and analyzed their offspring to determine their particular light-trapping performance. This process was carried out over more than 20 generations and also accounted for evolutionary principles of crossover and genetic mutation.

The resulting pattern will be fabricated with partners at Argonne National Laboratory.

Also co-authoring the paper were co-lead authors Chen Wang and Shuangcheng Yu, graduate students in McCormick's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Northwestern University. The original article was written by Sarah Ostman.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Chen Wang, Shuangcheng Yu, Wei Chen, Cheng Sun. Highly Efficient Light-Trapping Structure Design Inspired By Natural Evolution. Scientific Reports, 2013; 3 DOI: 10.1038/srep01025

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/wNNT299sxu8/130125111358.htm

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