புளுடூத் 4 தொழில்நுட்பம் குறித்த தகவல்கள்

வயர் இணைப்பு எதுவும் இன்றி இணைப்பைத் தரும் புளுடூத் தொழில்நுட்பம்(Bluetooth Technology) எவ்வாறு செயல்படுகிறது? என்ற கேள்வி நம்மில் பலருக்கு எழலாம். புளுடூத் முதலில் நமக்கு அறிமுகமான போது, தகவல்கள் பரிமாற்றத்திற்கு மிக அருமையான வசதியாக இருந்தது. இருப்பினும் பல்வேறு பிரச்னைகளை சந்திக்க நேர்ந்தது. தகவல் பரிமாற்றத்திற்கான சாதனங்களை இணைப்பதில் சிக்கல், கடவுச்சொல் அமைத்து இயக்குவதில் பிரச்னை, திடீரென தகவல் இணைப்பு அறுந்து போதல் மற்றும் பிற உடனடியாகத் தீர்க்க இயலாத சிக்கல்களும் இருந்தன. இவை அனைத்தும் புளுடூத் 4 தொழில்நுட்பம் தீர்த்து விடும் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது. புளுடூத் 2ஐக் காட்டிலும் பதிப்பு 3, சற்றுக் கூடுதல் வேகத்தில் தகவல்களினைக் கடத்தியது. பதிப்பு 2.1 ன் வேகம் 2Mbps ஆக இருந்தது. பதிப்பு 3ன் வேகம் 26Mbps ஆக உள்ளது. இது வீடியோ ஸ்ட்ரீமிங் போன்ற பணிகளுக்கு மிகவும் உதவியது. புளுடூத் 4 இவற்றைக் காட்டிலும் கூடுதல் திறன் கொண்டதாக இருக்கும். ஐந்திலிருந்து பத்து மடங்கு வேகக் கூடுதல் இருக்கும். அதிக நாட்கள் மின்திறன் தரும் பற்றரியுடன் இயங்கும் திறன் கொண்டதாக இருக்கும். இதனால் ட்ரெட்மில் போன்ற தனி நபர் உடல் நலன் கணக்கிடும் சாதனங்களில் இதன் செயல்பாடு நமக்கு மிக மிக உதவியாக இருக்கும். இதற்கு அடுத்ததாக என்.எப்.சி எனப்படும் அண்மைக்கள தகவல் பரிமாற்றம்(Near Field Communication) திறன் கொண்ட சிப்களின் செயல்பாட்டிற்கு இந்த புளுடூத் பதிப்பு 4 மிகவும் பயன்படும். புளுடூத் 4 இந்த தொழில்நுட்பம் கொண்ட போன்களுடன் எளிதில் தகவல்களைப் பரிமாறிக் கொள்ள முடியும். மடிக்கணணி, கைபேசி மற்றும் Router போன்ற சாதனங்களின் இணைப்பு, புளுடூத் பதிப்பு 4 மூலம் அதிகத் திறன் கொண்டதாக அமையும். இந்த தொழில் நுட்பத்திற்கேற்ப வடிவமைக்கப்படும் சாதனங்கள் அனைத்தும், புளுடூத் பதிப்பு 2 மற்றும் 3 ஆகியவற்றையும் கையாளும். புளுடூத் 4 ஏற்கனவே Motorola_Droid_ Razr_Maxx ஆகிய மொபைல் போன்களில் இணைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இந்த புதிய தொழில் நுட்பத்திற்கு Bluetooth Smart Ready எனப் பெயரிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதுகுறித்த மேலதிக தகவல்களை இந்த தளத்தின் மூலம் அறிந்து கொள்ளலாம். Bluetooth Smart Ready

Label and Star: ஜிமெயிலின் புதிய வசதி

உலகம் முழுவதும் பெரும்பாலான நபர்களால் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் மின்னஞ்சல் ஜிமெயில் ஆகும். எனவே ஜிமெயில் தனது பயனாளர்களுக்கு புதுப்புது வசதிகளை அறிமுகப்படுத்திக் கொண்டே உள்ளது. தற்போது ஜிமெயிலில் ஏதாவது ஒரு மின்னஞ்சலை அனுப்புவதற்கு முன் அந்த மின்னஞ்சலுக்கு label மற்றும் star பொருத்தி கொள்ளலாம். இந்த புதிய வசதியினால் எத்தனை நாள் கழித்து நீங்கள் மின்னஞ்சலை பார்த்தாலும் எளிதாக அடையாளம் கண்டு கொள்ளலாம். இதற்கு முதலில் ஜிமெயிலின் Compose பகுதிக்கு செல்லுங்கள். அங்கு உங்களுடைய செய்தியை டைப் செய்து விட்டு அனுப்ப வேண்டிய மின்னஞ்சல் முகவரிகளை கொடுத்து விடவும். அங்கு labels என்ற புதிய பட்டன் ஒன்று இருக்கும், அதில் உங்களுக்கு விருப்பமான label தெரிவு செய்து கொள்ளுங்கள் அல்லது புதிதாகவும் label உருவாக்கில் கொண்டு தெரிவு செய்து கொள்ளுங்கள். அதன் பின்னர் Send பட்டனை அழுத்தி உங்கள் மின்னஞ்சலை அனுப்பி விடுங்கள். இனி அந்த மின்னஞ்சலுக்கு பதில் வந்தால் குறிப்பிட்ட லேபிளில் பார்த்தவுடன் சுலபமாக தெரிந்து கொள்ளலாம். சிறிய வசதி என்றாலும் ஒரே நாளில் நூற்றுக்கும் மேலான மின்னஞ்சல்களை Receive செய்பவர்களுக்கு இந்த வசதி மிக மிக பயனுள்ள வசதி.

ஒரே நேரத்தில் அனைத்து மென்பொருள்களையும் நிறுவுவதற்கு

கணணியில் ஏதாவது பிரச்னை ஏற்பட்டு இயங்குதளம் செயலிழந்து போகும் போது, மீண்டும் அனைத்து மென்பொருள்களையும் நிறுவ வேண்டிய நிலை ஏற்படும். இயங்குதளத்தை மீண்டும் நிறுவுவது கூட மிக சுலபம், ஆனால் அனைத்து மென்பொருள்களையும் மீண்டும் நிறுவுவது என்பது கடினமான ஒன்று. இந்த வேலையை சுலபமாக்க ஒரு மென்பொருள் உள்ளது. ஒட்டு மொத்தமாக எந்தெந்த மென்பொருள்களை நிறுவ வேண்டுமோ அவற்றை தேர்ந்தெடுத்து கொண்டு, ஒரே நேரத்தில் கணணியில் நிறுவி விடலாம். நீங்கள் இயங்குதளத்தை புதிதாக நிறுவிய பிறகு இந்த Ninite தளத்திற்கு செல்லுங்கள். அங்கு நாம் அடிக்கடி உபயோகிக்கும் பெரும்பாலான மென்பொருள்கள் பட்டியலிடப்பட்டு இருக்கும். உங்களுக்கு தேவையான மென்பொருள்களை தேர்ந்தெடுத்து கொண்டு, கீழே உள்ள Get Installer என்ற பட்டனை கிளிக் செய்து, உங்களுக்கு தேவையான மென்பொருள்களை தரவிறக்கி கொள்ளுங்கள். தற்போது அந்த மென்பொருளை இயக்கினால் நீங்கள் தேர்ந்தெடுத்த அனைத்து மென்பொருள்களும் தானாக தரவிறக்கப்பட்டு, உங்களது கணணியில் நிறுவப்பட்டு விடும். இணையதள முகவரி

Rural Women Learn Modern Irrigation Technology in China

Women at a modern irrigation technology training hosted by UN Women in Qingtongxia, China (Photo credit: UN Women/Hong Gao).

The conference room of the activity centre at Kuaiqiao Village was packed when professors from China Agricultural University and China Irrigation and Drainage Development Centre were conducting a training course.  Yet those listening attentively were not university students.  Instead, 62 out of a total of 70 trainees were female farmers from Kuaiqiao Village.  The course was held as part of the UN Women project, “Improving Gender Equality in Qingtongxia, China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, through Women’s Empowerment in Water Management.”
Since the inception of the project in April, 156 rural women have been trained.Kuaiqiao Village is located in Qingtongxia, one of the oldest and most important irrigated districts in Ningxia.  The area has a typical continental climate, with average annual precipitation of only 192mm and an evaporation volume of over 1600mm in contrast.  Irrigation in this region depends on the Qingtongxia Reservoir, which gets its water supply from the Yellow River.  Due to climate change, the water flow of the Yellow River has become uneven, which results either in floods or in droughts. If the region faces water scarcity during irrigation seasons, the productivity of the crops is directly impacted.
At the same time, many men in the district have left their villages to seek job opportunities in big cities, leaving behind their wives, children and old parents.  As a result, in addition to their traditional responsibilities, women have had to take on farming. However, because of the deeply entrenched perceptions on a gender-based division of labour, they are typically excluded from decision-making.  Due to women’s new responsibility in agriculture, this exclusion has made them more vulnerable to climate change.
UN Women has designed the current project to address this problem, keeping in mind that women can be a driving force to mitigate and adapt to climate change.  The project is funded by AusAID and is aimed at empowering rural women in Qingtongxia by equipping them with internationally advanced irrigation technology from Australia and enhancing their role in water management.
Female farmers, as primary users, have been trained to become familiar with the use, management and maintenance of the irrigation infrastructure – knowledge that empowers them and ensures the sustainable and effective use of irrigation water.
To raise villagers’ understanding of gender equality and the importance of women’s participation, a local farmers’ cultural troupe staged drama performances and cartoon brochures were distributed. In addition, training sessions and advocacy workshops were also conducted for provincial and local officials so that they can incorporate a gender perspective in their decision-making processes.

Google Science Fair 2012: How can robots aid scientific research ? ( wit...

Scientists from Cambridge University talk about using LEGO MINDSTORMS to aid their research. Daniel will also be joining the Google Science Fair (http://google.com/sciencefair) in a Hangout on Air Wednesday 14th March,11:00EST, 15:00UK, 17:00 Cape Town, to share with you his experience creating robotics. Add Google Science Fair to your G+ circle today to get 

Photography at its Best !!!

The world's longest cat

Guinness World Records has officially recognized cat named Trouble largest cat in the world.

Representatives of the Guinness Book of Records measured the cat and veterinarians Savannah breed (a cross between an African wild cats (serval) and domestic non-pedigreed cats) from the clutches of up to shoulder height (height of 48 cm) and stated that this cat is a leopard - the world's longest cat.

Despite this remarkable growth, Trouble weighs a little - only about 9 pounds, because they do not like to eat a lot and has a very active life, constantly running around like a real wild cat.

The owner of a cat-American champion Debbie Maraspina from Sacramento, Calif., said she was proud of his pet, which is 3 years, and despite the fact that it belongs to the breed, the cats that are considered the largest in the world, her cat Trouble even walked the length of the bodies of their relatives. 

SOME NICE QUOTES

Sweet

Superb Sentences By 7 Superb Persons

 

Dr Abdul Kalaam........
"It Is Very Easy To Defeat Someone,
But It Is Very Hard To Win Some

Shakespeare....."Never Play With The Feelings Of Others
Because You May Win The Game
But The Risk Is That You Will Surely Lose
The Person For A Life Time".

Napoleon........"The world suffers a lot.
Not because of the violence of bad people,
But because of the silence of good people!"

Einstein.........
"I am thankful to all those who said NO to me
Its because of them I did it myself.."

Abraham Lincoln.........
"If friendship is your weakest point then
you are the strongest person
in the world"

Shakespeare..........
"Laughing Faces Do Not Mean That There Is
Absence Of Sorrow!
But It Means That They Have The Ability To
Deal With It".

William Arthur........."Opportunities Are Like Sunrises, If You
Wait Too Long You Can Miss Them".

Hitler.....
"When You Are In The Light, Everything
Follows You,
But When You Enter Into The Dark, Even
Your Own Shadow Doesn't Follow You."

Shakespeare.............
"Coin Always Makes Sound
But The Currency Notes Are Always Silent.
So When Your Value Increases
Keep Yourself Calm and Silent"

The importance of Translation Project Management

Well, where to start? Not wanting to blow my own trumpet, as a former project manager, but project management is, in my humble opinion, vital to a smooth, problem-free, well-executed translation project!

A recent article handily backs up my opinion, stating that project managers are, in fact “indispensable to the process due to the vast number of project variables, requirements, exceptions to project scope, etc.” Project managers liaise with both clients and translators to see a project through to completion. Their role involves understanding clients’ needs and requirements, ensuring that they can all be met, and then creating a logical sequence of tasks to be carried out to a specific deadline, not to mention assigning the work to suitable translators and proofreaders who specialise in the subject in question.

Text for translation is provided to translation agencies in a range of formats, and these formats, as well as any programmes used, vary from project to project, and play a very important part in how a translation project is managed. Assigning work to a translator often involves communicating with translators to discover which programmes they are able to use, from Word to Dreamweaver to Powerpoint, with everything in between. The text must be provided to the translator in a suitable format, and this step of the process is even more important when taking into account the use of translation tools such as Trados, which enable a Translation Memory to be created and updated every time a project is carried out. Previous translations, glossaries and important stylistic information must be passed from client to translator, purchase orders created, translator invoices received, and queries answered. In addition, project managers must also be aware of budgets and costs throughout the project, ensuring that a profit is made, and are also often involved in the quoting and invoicing processes. This entire process, as well as any final formatting and editing, and adaptations to changes requested along the way, must be carried out to a deadline agreed upon by the client and translation company at the beginning of the project.

Without human project managers to oversee the process, and ensure that every step is executed to cost, deadline, and to a high standard, the number of successful translation projects completed would severely diminish. Whilst I don’t find the comparison to a “smoke detector” the most flattering, I can see the point made that a human project manager, as opposed to a machine, is important in order to catch any “early warning signs of deviations that can affect project budget or delivery date”.

Now, are you convinced? Do you see the project managers you have worked with in a new light? Should companies recognise this vital element of the translation process and understand that they are irreplaceable? In my lowly opinion, yes to all of the above!!

What You Don't Know About Kaizen Budgeting May Shock You

Do you know the name of the budgetary plan which is used normally in a successful retail outlet industry? If your response is WalMart, then you thought accurately. WalMart makes use of Kaizen budgeting to bring down its expenses and to maximize its earnings. The Kaizen budgeting process helps Wal-Mart to reduce its overhead by maximizing its efficiency and work flow. This is a consequence of steady improvement of their process and work. Wal-Mart is a good example for Kaizen budgeting accounting. There are also a couple of points against it, but in comparison to others, it is a gem of a approach. This helps to increase the productiveness as well as efficiency of employees and the organization.

"Kaizen" is a term in Japanese meaning "continuous improvement." In the business world the term frequently refers to making small improvements in throughout the organization. Improvements accumulate little by little to make a huge difference. Business,marketing, manufacturing - every part of the company should constantly be seeking ways to improve their work and processes so that they are easier, more profitable, and more efficient. Doing this results in increased revenue and decreased costs, while providing the company the edge on competing companies.

Whilst the concept of Kaizen is very good, the company cannot simply rely on an idea as a driving force. In such a situation, the Kaizen budgeting approach comes into play as a budgetary paradigm to drive the company forward by determining improvement. Kaizen budgeting accounting works by assuming that improvements will bemade and thus more funds are allocated earlier. Consequently, the implemented improvements increase efficiency later, meaning the requisite level of funding will be reduced later on, and therefore less money will be allocated to the last period. Allocating less money to the current month also ensures improvements are made or the department’s budget will be exceeded.

All people working for a Kaizen business should have the ability to think differently and look to achieve their objective. The entire teamwill find it very easy to progress and learn new things as they start making improvements in their lifestyles to suit their and the company's requirements in terms of efficiency and total output. Thismanagement process is very similar to that of a growing muscle which cuts fat the more there is. Workers, like muscles, must also be very well maintained and nurtured for the company to progress fast or else it may stop progressing.

The Kaizen benefits include a fund used to reward employees who make significant contributions to the workplace. The fund has the dual purpose of motivating employees to come up with ideas, and helping to identify those employees to are not contributing effectively. The overall effect is to make the company healthier,stronger, and more profitable and efficient.

A big or small business can benefit by using this solid business tool that is the revolutionary technique of innovation. A great example is there in Japan, we can look its successful business sector or at the ever-expanding Wal-Mart Corporation. They increase their profit margins and efficiency, reduce their expenditures and waste, they aremotivated and stimulated workers, and they strengthen the company by employing it with their patience, attentiveness, creative spirit etc. It shows a jewel of a strategy and it is not to be missed.

Better Organic Electronics: Researchers Show the Way Forward for Improving Organic and Molecular Electronic Devices

Electron diffraction patterns provide a wealth of information about the morphology, structure, and quality of monolayer organic thin films. (Credit: Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry)

Science Daily  — Future prospects for superior new organic electronic devices are brighter now thanks to a new study by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Working at the Lab's Molecular Foundry, a DOE nanoscience center, the team has provided the first experimental determination of the pathways by which electrical charge is transported from molecule-to-molecule in an organic thin film. Their results also show how such organic films can be chemically modified to improve conductance.

"We have shown that when the molecules in organic thin films are aligned in particular directions, there is much better conductance," says Miquel Salmeron, a leading authority on nanoscale surface imaging who directs Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division and who led this study. "Chemists already know how to fabricate organic thin films in a way that can achieve such an alignment, which means they should be able to use the information provided by our methodology to determine the molecular alignment and its role on charge transport across and along the molecules. This will help improve the performances of future organic electronic devices."

Salmeron and Shaul Aloni, also of the Materials Sciences Division, are the corresponding authors of a paper in the journalNanoLetters that describes this work. The paper is titled "Electron Microscopy Reveals Structure and Morphology of One Molecule Thin Organic Films." Other co-authors were Virginia Altoe, Florent Martin and Allard Katan.

Organic electronics, also known as plastic or polymer electronics, are devices that utilize carbon-based molecules as conductors rather than metals or semiconductors. They are prized for their low costs, light weight and rubbery flexibility. Organic electronics are also expected to play a big role in molecular computing, but to date their use has been hampered by low electrical conductance in comparison to metals and semiconductors.

"Chemists and engineers have been using their intuition and trial-and-error testing to make progress in the field but at some point you hit a wall unless you understand what is going on at the molecular level, for example, how electrons or holes flow through or across molecules, how the charge transport depends on the structure of the organic layers and the orientation of the molecules, and how the charge transport responds to mechanical forces and chemical inputs," Salmeron says. "With our experimental results, we have shown that we can now provide answers for these questions."

In this study, Salmeron and his colleagues used electron diffraction patterns to map the crystal structures of molecular films made from monolayers of short versions of commonly used polymers containing long chains of thiophene units. They focused specifically on pentathiophene butyric acid (5TBA) and two of its derivatives (D5TBA and DH5TBA) that were induced to self-assemble on various electron-transparent substrates. Pentathiophenes -- molecules containing a ring of four carbon and one sulfur atoms -- are members of a well-studied and promising family of organic semiconductors.

Obtaining structural crystallographic maps of monolayer organic films using electron beams posed a major challenge, as Aloni explains.

"These organic molecules are extremely sensitive to high energy electrons," he says. "When you shoot a beam of high energy electrons through the film it immediately affects the molecules. Within few seconds we no longer see the signature intermolecular alignment of the diffraction pattern. Despite this, when applied correctly, electron microscopy becomes essential tool that can provide unique information on organic samples."

Salmeron, Aloni and their colleagues overcame the challenge through the combination of a unique strategy they developed and a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at the Molecular Foundry's Imaging and Manipulation of Nanostructures Facility. Electron diffraction patterns were collected as a parallel electron beam was scanned over the film, then analyzed by computer to generate structural crystallographic maps.

"These maps contain uncompromised information of the size, symmetry and orientation of the unit cell, the orientation and structure of the domains, the degree of crystallinity, and any variations on the micrometer scale," says first author Altoe. "Such data are crucial to understanding the structure and electrical transport properties of the organic films, and allow us to track small changes driven by chemical modifications of the support films."

In their paper, the authors acknowledge that to gain structural information they had to sacrifice some resolution.

"The achievable resolution of the structural map is a compromise between sample radiation hardness, detector sensitivity and noise, and data acquisition rate," Salmeron says. "To keep the dose of high energy electrons at a level the monolayer film could support and still be able to collect valuable information about its structure, we had to spread the beam to a 90 nanometer diameter. However a fast and direct control of the beam position combined with the use of fast and ultrasensitive detectors should allow for the use of smaller beams with a higher electron flux, resulting in a better than 10 nanometer resolution."

While the combination of organic molecular films and substrates in this study conduct electrical current via electron holes (positively-charged energy spaces), Salmeron and his colleagues say their structural mapping can also be applied to materials whose conductance is electron-based.

"We expect our methodology to have widespread applications in materials research," Salmeron says.

Aloni and Altoe say this methodology is now available at the Imaging and Manipulation of Nanostructures Facility for users of the Molecular Foundry.

This research was supported by the DOE Office of Science.

New Method for Cleaning Up Nuclear Waste

Science Daily  — While the costs associated with storing nuclear waste and the possibility of it leaching into the environment remain legitimate concerns, they may no longer be obstacles on the road to cleaner energy.

If one considers that the radionuclide technetium (99Tc) is present in the nuclear waste at most storage sites around the world, the math becomes simple. There are more than 436 nuclear power plants operating in 30 countries; that is a lot of nuclear waste. In fact, approximately 305 metric tons of 99Tc were generated from nuclear reactors and weapons testing from 1943 through 2010. Its safe storage has been an issue for decades.A new paper by researchers at the University of Notre Dame, led by Thomas E. Albrecht-Schmitt, professor of civil engineering and geological sciences and concurrent professor of chemistry and biochemistry, showcases Notre Dame Thorium Borate-1 (NDTB-1) as a crystalline compound that can be tailored to safely absorb radioactive ions from nuclear waste streams. Once captured, the radioactive ions can then be exchanged for higher-charged species of a similar size, recycling the material for re-use.

"The framework of the NDTB-1 is key," says Albrecht-Schmitt. "Each crystal contains a framework of channels and cages featuring billions of tiny pores, which allow for the interchange of anions with a variety of environmental contaminants, especially those used in the nuclear industry, such as chromate and pertechnetate."

Albrecht-Schmitt's team has concluded successful laboratory studies using the NDTB-1 crystals, during which they removed approximately 96 percent of 99Tc. Additional field tests conducted at the Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, S.C., and discussed in the paper have shown that the Notre Dame compound successfully removes 99Tc from nuclear waste and also exhibits positive exchange selectivity for greater efficiency.

Greenhouse Gas Can Find a Home Underground

The MIT researchers analyzed several specific deep saline aquifers in the United States. They determined their potential storage capacity by analyzing how the liquified gas would spread from a particular set of deep injection wells. (Credit: Michael Szulczewski, of the Juanes Research Group, MIT) 

Science Daily  — A new study by MIT researchers shows there is enough capacity in deep saline aquifers in the United States to store at least a century's carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's coal-fired power plants. Though questions remain about the economics of systems to capture and store such gases, this study addresses a significant issue that has overshadowed such proposals.

The MIT team's analysis -- led by Ruben Juanes, the ARCO Associate Professor in Energy Studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and part of the doctoral thesis work of graduate students Christopher MacMinn PhD '12 and Michael Szulczewski -- is published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Coal-burning power plants account for about 40 per cent of worldwide carbon emissions, so climate change "will not be addressed unless we address carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants," Juanes says. "We should do many different things", such as developing new, cleaner alternatives, he says, "but one thing that's not going away is coal" because it's such a cheap and widely available power source.

Efforts to curb greenhouse gases have primarily focused on the search for practical, economical sources of clean energy, such as wind or solar power. But human emissions are now so vast that many analysts think it's unlikely that these technologies alone can solve the problem. Some have proposed systems for capturing emissions- mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels- then compressing and storing the waste in deep geological formations. This approach is known as carbon capture and storage, or CCS.

Deep saline aquifers are one of the most promising places to store the gas: more than half a mile below the surface, far below the freshwater sources used for human consumption and agriculture. But estimates of the capacity of such formations in the United States have ranged from enough to store just a few years' worth of coal-plant emissions to thousands of years' worth.

The reason for the vast disparity in estimates is twofold. First, because deep saline aquifers have no commercial value, there needs to be more exploration to determine their extent. Second, the fluid dynamics of how concentrated, liquefied carbon dioxide would spread through such formations is very complex and challenging to model. Most analyses have simply estimated the overall volume of the formations without considering the dynamics of how the CO2 would infiltrate them.

The MIT team modelled how the carbon dioxide would percolate through the rock, accounting not only for the ultimate capacity of the formations but also the rate of injection that could be sustained over time. "The key is capturing the essential physics of the problem," Szulczewski says, "but simplifying it enough so it could be applied to the entire country." That meant looking at the details of trapping mechanisms in the porous rock at a scale of microns and then applying that understanding to formations that span hundreds of miles.

"We started with the full complicated set of equations for the fluid flow and then simplified it," MacMinn says. Other estimates have tended to oversimplify the problem, "missing some of the nuances of the physics," he says. While this analysis focused on the United States, MacMinn says similar storage capacities likely exist worldwide.

Howard Herzog, a senior research engineer with the MIT Energy Initiative and a co-author of the PNAS paper, says this study "demonstrates that the rate of injection of CO2 into a reservoir is a critical parameter in making storage estimates."

When liquefied carbon dioxide is dissolved in salty water, the resulting fluid is denser than either of the constituents, so it naturally sinks. It's a slow process, but "once the carbon dioxide is dissolved, you've won the game," Juanes says, because the dense, heavy mixture would rarely return to the atmosphere.

While this study did not address the cost of CCS systems, many analysts have concluded that they could add 15 to 30 per cent to the cost of coal-generated electricity. It would only be viable if a carbon tax or a limit on carbon emissions was implemented.

While uncertainties remain, "I really think CCS has a role to play," Juanes says. "It's not an ultimate salvation; it's a bridge, but it may be essential because it can really address the emissions from coal and natural gas."

Red meat could help mental health

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

Deakin University health researchers have found that eating less than the recommended amount of red meat is related to depression and anxiety in women. Associate Professor Felice Jacka and colleagues from Deakin’s Barwon Psychiatric Research Unit based at Barwon Health investigated the relationship between the consumption of beef and lamb and the presence of depressive and anxiety disorders in more than 1000 women from the Geelong region. The results are published in the current edition of the journal Psychotherapy Psychosomatics. “We had originally thought that red meat might not be good for mental health, as studies from other countries had found red meat consumption to be associated with physical health risks, but it turns out that it may be quite important,” Associate Professor Jacka said. “When we looked at women consuming less than the recommended amount of red meat in our study, we found that they were twice as likely to have a diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorder as those consuming the recommended amount. “Even when we considered the overall healthiness of the women’s diets and other factors such as their socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, smoking, weight and age, the relationship between low red meat intake and mental health remained. “Interestingly, there was no relationship between other forms of protein, such as chicken, pork, fish or plant-based proteins, and mental health. “Vegetarianism was not the explanation either. Only 19 women in the study were vegetarians, and the results were the same when they were excluded from the study analyses.” Associate Professor Jacka said that it didn’t seem to be a good idea to overeat red meat either. “We found that regularly eating more than the recommended amount of red meat was also related to increased depression and anxiety,” she said. Given the results of this study, Associate Professor Jacka believes following the recommended weekly intake of red meat could boost our mental health. “We already know that the overall quality of your diet is important to mental health. But eating a moderate amount of lean red meat, which is roughly 3-4 small, palm-sized serves a week, may also be important,” she said. Associate Professor Jacka also suggests sticking with grass-fed meats whenever possible. “We know that red meat in Australia is a healthy product as it contains high levels of nutrients, including the omega-3 fatty acids important to mental and physical health. This is because cattle and sheep in Australia are largely grass-fed. In many other countries, the cattle are kept in feedlots and fed grains rather than grass. This results in a much less healthy meat with more saturated fat and fewer healthy fats.” Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.