Sometimes seeing a shadow can be as good or better than seeing the real thing. A new measurement method* developed by researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a case in point. The method uses the shadow cast by a small glass probe to infer the dimensions of tiny, microscale holes or other micrometer-sized components. The technique may provide an improved quality control method for measuring the interior dimensions of fuel nozzles, fiber optic connecto
It’s a girl … and she’s pregnant!
Paleontologists at North Carolina State University have determined that a 68 million year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil from Montana is that of a young female, and that she was producing eggs when she died.
The proof, they say, is in the bones.
In a case of a literal “lucky break,” the scientists discovered unusual bone tissue lining the hollow cavity of the T. rex’s broken leg bone. In a paper published in the June 3 issue
Researchers develop simple way to test loss of lubrication following injury
Researchers have found an association between inflammation from knee injuries and a progressive loss of joint lubrication, which may predispose people to arthritis. They have also found a way to quantify how much lubrication is lost following injury.
The results, which appear in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, are from a study by Rhode Island Hospital, University of Rhode Island, and Ca
How consumers react to prices ending in 99
Have you ever wondered why prices do not often end in simple round numbers? Decades of research have focused on the issue of pricing and a new study published in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research analyzes how consumers perceive the difference between prices ending in .00 or .99. This study which focuses on the left digit, rather than cents, finds that the difference can be important to consumers.
“We show
How consumers process positive and negative product cues
It can be a tough call. Should you get the red car or the black one? The beige interior or grey? Leather or fabric seats? The list goes on and on of the many intrinsic attributes of this new and shiny purchase. In addition, the decision is further complicated by the many extrinsic attributes of a car like warranty and where the car was made. An article in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research suggests
A bioadhesive tablet containing the antifungal drug miconazole is an effective and convenient means of treating oropharyngeal candidiasis, which is the most frequently occurring infection in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, scientists report today at the 2nd ESMO Scientific & Educational Conference (ESEC) in Budapest, Hungary.
Dr. Rene-Jean Bensadoun from Centre Antoine Lacassagne in Nice, and international colleagues, studied patients in 36 centers
In order to improve the standard of cancer care across Europe and around the globe, more funding needs to be channeled toward clinical research, according to oncologists surveyed by the European Society for Medical Oncology.
The standard of cancer care in Europe and around the world varies significantly. Survival times for cancer patients vary by up to 100% between countries in Europe and even more across other regions of the globe. The world’s oncologists are increasingly awa
Researchers at the University of Southampton’s School of Biological Sciences have discovered that inbreeding in threatened bumblebee species results in female worker bees changing sex.
Many bumblebee species have become rare in recent years, and their last populations are confined to nature reserves, which effectively act as islands amidst a sea of intensively farmed land. In small, isolated bumblebee populations where there are very few individuals, relatives may mate with each
Consumers use prior knowledge to judge purchasing decisions
Imagine a shiny new BMW sitting in your driveway. Now, imagine a shiny new Hyundai. Now, come up with one reason why you should drive that BMW. How about ten reasons? What about the Hyundai? A little bit harder isn’t it? An article in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research explores how and why consumers use prior information to decide to buy a BMW or a Hyundai.
According to the research of
Why did our parents’ crayon box only yield six colors while kids today are enjoying a dizzying 120?! The answer is in the naming: today’s kids are scribbling away with “razzmatazz” and “tropical rain forest.” This move towards ambiguous naming is extremely effective according to an article in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.
“The results from these studies suggest that color names can influence propensity of purchase, and that this effect is relate
Sensors that detect and count single photons, the smallest quantities of light, with 88 percent efficiency have been demonstrated by physicists at the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST). This record efficiency is an important step toward making reliable single photon detectors for use in practical quantum cryptography systems, the most secure method known for ensuring the privacy of a communications channel.
Described in the June issue of Physical Review A, Rapid Commun
How low-literate individuals adapt to the marketplace
With more than one fifth of American consumers considered functionally illiterate, the assumption that consumer research and the related marketing techniques should be focused solely on literate consumers may be inaccurate. According to a study in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, low-literate consumers who find a way to adapt to a marketplace where literacy is expected can not only challenge the status q
Cells sent to fight infections in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients actually enhance the development of permanent bacterial infections, according to researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center. Infections with the bacteria Pseudomonas are a major cause of sickness and death in cystic fibrosis patients. The findings, published in the June issue of Infection and Immunity, suggest new treatment strategies for patients with cystic fibrosis.
“Pseudomonas can use the
Although apparently uncommon, fungal contamination of saline-filled breast implants is readily preventable, according to a study in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. The key steps are to use closed systems for filling the devices and to adhere to the strict moisture control and operating room ventilation standards in force at major hospitals. The potential benefits of these precautions could be considerable, since 265,832 women in the United States u
Researchers have uncovered the link between two biochemical pathways that plants use to defend themselves against pathogens – pathways that scientists have long believed worked independently of each other.
Knowing how these pathways of immunity work may one day help researchers breed plants that can better resist a variety of pathogens, said David Mackey, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of horticulture and crop science at Ohio State University .
GeoConcept of France, a leader in mapping and optimisation applications for businesses, has launched GeoScheduling Suite(tm) V2. This new version of the specialist software combines real-time and deferred optimisation of mobile resource timetables and provides productivity gains of 20% to 70% depending on the organisation. These optimised schedules guarantee perfect efficiency with better targeted operations, which are more pertinent, faster and less costly.
Travelling personnel sp
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