Initially, Masdar and JISEA will collaborate in three areas: water-energy nexus, clean energy policy with focus on the Middle East/North Africa region, and energy access in developing countries. The agreement also offers options for expanding the scope of collaboration at a later stage.
A trans-disciplinary global research group focused on the nexus of energy, environment, finance, and society, JISEA is headquartered at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). With five founding institutions rooted in research, JISEA provides capabilities in research and analysis that far outweigh those of a single organization.
"I am very excited about JISEA's affiliation with Masdar Institute," said Douglas Arent, JISEA executive director. "Masdar Institute offers excellent research capabilities and unique regional insights that complement the skills and knowledge of JISEA partners and allow us to offer increased value to our clients interested in energy access and sustainability, particularly in the Middle East/North Africa region."
Dr Fred Moavenzadeh said, "The affiliation agreement with the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis will broaden our reach in international collaboration that will naturally further our capabilities in sustainable research projects. JISEA engages in leading-edge, objective, high-impact research and analysis to guide global energy investment and policy decisions. Its focus on the nexus of energy, finance, and society, are similar to the issues being addressed by us. With the guidance of the UAE's leadership, we will continue to seek partnerships with global organizations to further our research in clean energy and sustainability."
Research forms the core area for Masdar Institute which focuses on three themes for scientific innovation - water, energy and environment; energy systems; and advanced materials. The research-based institution ion Abu Dhabi continues to excel in research success. For 2012, total publications by Masdar Institute so far include papers in 311 peer reviewed journals, 330 conference proceedings, two full books and 37 invention disclosures. One patent is already issued, while 20 active patent applications are pending.
Serving as a key pillar of innovation and human capital, Masdar Institute remains fundamental to Masdar's core objectives of developing Abu Dhabi's knowledge economy and finding solutions to humanity's toughest challenges such as climate change.
Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.
JISEA is operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, on behalf of its founding partners. They include the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Colorado-Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.
As clever as the Nest Learning Thermostat can be, its intelligence only extends as far as the front door: it hasn't really been aware of how neighbors or the seasons affect our power bills. Nest Labs is improving that connection to the outside world through Nest Energy Services, a new program that links its device to the collective, cloud-based knowledge of utility companies. When owners are with an Energy Services-aware provider, the thermostat will know when to brace for an energy "rush hour" and automatically limit its cooling during peak (read: expensive) periods. It also gives a heads-up for seasonal discounts that fine-tune the temperature schedule over the course of a few weeks. Unlike previous utility-guided approaches, Nest users can always retake control if they genuinely can't stand the heat.
Only Austin Energy, Green Mountain Energy, Reliant and Southern California Edison have lined up for the synced climate control so far, although Nest is sweetening the deal by expanding utility-based discounts for the thermostat itself. Customers of National Grid can get an immediate $100 rebate through Nest, while those who sign up with Reliant can still receive their thermostats for free with certain plans. The deals are calculated tradeoffs for companies likely to recoup their investment down the road, but they could represent big wins for homeowners still jittery about paying up front to save money later.
As we revealed a few days ago and Time Warner Cable announced yesterday, its iOS app has been updated with the ability to stream video even when away from subscriber's home networks. There's video on-demand available from 10 networks, and ten live TV channels ready for streaming. While the company's blog post only referred to access over WiFi, its about page confirms our initial information that 3G / 4G access is limited to Verizon Wireless customers. Our tipster indicted this exclusive would run out later this year, and the feature is also coming soon to the company's Android app and web portal for PC / Mac users. Today's update on iOS also tweaks the app's guide, with a new ability to filter by category, as well as sort alphabetically by network or show title. Subscribers can grab it at the link below -- let us know how well it works and if you've run into any unexpected restrictions.
Update: Time Warner Cable has also published a few videos to go along with the launch, check after the break to see SVP and GM of programming Mike Angus discuss the latest update.
Apr. 16, 2013 ? Applying femtosecond x-ray methods, researchers at the Max-Born-Institute in Berlin (Germany) and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland) observed an extremely fast, collective electron transfer of ~100 molecular ions after excitation of a single electron in a crystal of transition metal complexes.
Photochemistry and molecular photovoltaics make frequent use of so-called transition metal complexes which consist of a central metal ion bonded to a group of surrounding ligands. Such materials display a strong absorption of ultraviolet or visible light, making them attractive as primary light absorbers in molecular solar cells and other devices of molecular optoelectronics. Absorption of light is followed by an extremely fast shift of electrons from the metal ion to the ligands, a mechanism that is essential for generating an electric voltage. All applications rely on solid state materials in which transition metal complexes are densely packed and can interact with each other. So far, the influence of this interaction on the very fast electron motions following the absorption of light has remained unclear.
To observe ultrafast electron motions in space and time, one needs to measure the position of electrons in the material with a precision of the order of 0.1 nm (0.1 nm =10-10 m), roughly corresponding to the distance between neighboring atoms, and on a sub-100 fs time scale (1 fs = 10-15s). This is possible by imaging the material with extremely short x-ray pulses which are scattered from the electrons and provide their spatial arrangement. The electron motions are initiated by an ultrashort optical pulse which excites an electron on an individual complex.
In the current issue of Journal of Chemical Physics, Benjamin Freyer, Flavio Zamponi, Vincent Juve, Johannes Stingl, Michael Woerner, Thomas Elsaesser and Majed Chergui report the first in-situ x-ray imaging of electron and atom motions induced by such an electron transfer excitation. For the prototype material [Fe(bpy)3]2+(PF6-)2, they show time-dependent 'electron maps' derived from x-ray snapshots taken with 100 fs long hard x-ray flashes. Taking x-ray snapshots at various times during and after the optical pulse that triggers the charge transfer, creates a molecular movie of electron and atom motions.
To the big surprise of the researchers, the time-dependent 'electron maps' reveal a transfer of electronic charge not only from the Fe atoms to the bipyridine units but -- so far unknown -- an even larger amount of electronic charge from the PF6- counterions to the bipyridine units. The analysis of the x-ray snapshots shows that the charge transfer affects approximately 30 complexes around the directly photo-excited one. This collective electron response is caused by the electric Coulomb forces between the different ions and minimizes the total electrostatic energy in the crystal. Such behavior is highly favorable for charge collection and injection in optoelectronic devices.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB).
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Journal Reference:
Benjamin Freyer, Flavio Zamponi, Vincent Juve?, Johannes Stingl, Michael Woerner, Thomas Elsaesser, Majed Chergui. Ultrafast inter-ionic charge transfer of transition-metal complexes mapped by femtosecond X-ray powder diffraction. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 2013; 138 (14): 144504 DOI: 10.1063/1.4800223
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Children and teens with autism more likely to become preoccupied with video gamesPublic release date: 17-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jesslyn Chew ChewJ@missouri.edu 573-882-8353 University of Missouri-Columbia
Research could lead to interventions to treat disorder
COLUMBIA, Mo. Children and teens with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use screen-based media, such as television and video games, more often than their typically developing peers and are more likely to develop problematic video game habits, a University of Missouri researcher found.
"Many parents and clinicians have noticed that children with ASD are fascinated with technology, and the results of our recent studies certainly support this idea," said Micah Mazurek, an assistant professor of health psychology and a clinical child psychologist at MU. "We found that children with ASD spent much more time playing video games than typically developing children, and they are much more likely to develop problematic or addictive patterns of video game play."
Mazurek studied screen-based media use among 202 children and adolescents with ASD and 179 typically developing siblings. Compared to typically developing children, those with ASD spent more time playing video games and less time on social media, such as Facebook. Children with ASD also spent more time watching TV and playing video games than participating in pro-social or physical activities. Conversely, typically developing children spent more time on non-screen activities than on TV or video games.
In another study of 169 boys with ASD, problematic video game use was associated with oppositional behaviors, such as refusing to follow directions or engaging in arguments. Mazurek says carefully controlled research is needed to examine these issues in the future.
"Because these studies were cross-sectional, it is not clear if there is a causal relationship between video game use and problem behaviors," Mazurek said. "Children with ASD may be attracted to video games because they can be rewarding, visually engaging and do not require face-to-face communication or social interaction. Parents need to be aware that, although video games are especially reinforcing for children with ASD, children with ASD may have problems disengaging from these games."
Even though Mazurek cautions that too much screen time could be detrimental for children with ASD, she says tapping into what children with ASD enjoy about video games could help researchers and clinicians develop therapies using the technology.
"Using screen-based technologies, communication and social skills could be taught and reinforced right away," Mazurek said. "However, more research is needed to determine whether the skills children with ASD might learn in virtual reality environments would translate into actual social interactions."
The study, "Television, Video Game and Social Media Use among Children with ASD and Typically Developing Siblings," will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. "Video Game Use and Problem Behaviors in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorders," was published in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mazurek also authored an article for The Scientist Magazine about the benefits and possible negative consequences of using screen-based technologies in interventions for children with autism.
Mazurek is an assistant professor in the MU School of Health Professions and a clinical child psychologist at the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. As the largest center in Missouri specializing in ASD and other developmental disorders, the Thompson Center is a national leader in confronting the challenges of autism and other developmental conditions through its collaborative programs that integrate research, clinical service delivery, education and public policy.
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Children and teens with autism more likely to become preoccupied with video gamesPublic release date: 17-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jesslyn Chew ChewJ@missouri.edu 573-882-8353 University of Missouri-Columbia
Research could lead to interventions to treat disorder
COLUMBIA, Mo. Children and teens with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use screen-based media, such as television and video games, more often than their typically developing peers and are more likely to develop problematic video game habits, a University of Missouri researcher found.
"Many parents and clinicians have noticed that children with ASD are fascinated with technology, and the results of our recent studies certainly support this idea," said Micah Mazurek, an assistant professor of health psychology and a clinical child psychologist at MU. "We found that children with ASD spent much more time playing video games than typically developing children, and they are much more likely to develop problematic or addictive patterns of video game play."
Mazurek studied screen-based media use among 202 children and adolescents with ASD and 179 typically developing siblings. Compared to typically developing children, those with ASD spent more time playing video games and less time on social media, such as Facebook. Children with ASD also spent more time watching TV and playing video games than participating in pro-social or physical activities. Conversely, typically developing children spent more time on non-screen activities than on TV or video games.
In another study of 169 boys with ASD, problematic video game use was associated with oppositional behaviors, such as refusing to follow directions or engaging in arguments. Mazurek says carefully controlled research is needed to examine these issues in the future.
"Because these studies were cross-sectional, it is not clear if there is a causal relationship between video game use and problem behaviors," Mazurek said. "Children with ASD may be attracted to video games because they can be rewarding, visually engaging and do not require face-to-face communication or social interaction. Parents need to be aware that, although video games are especially reinforcing for children with ASD, children with ASD may have problems disengaging from these games."
Even though Mazurek cautions that too much screen time could be detrimental for children with ASD, she says tapping into what children with ASD enjoy about video games could help researchers and clinicians develop therapies using the technology.
"Using screen-based technologies, communication and social skills could be taught and reinforced right away," Mazurek said. "However, more research is needed to determine whether the skills children with ASD might learn in virtual reality environments would translate into actual social interactions."
The study, "Television, Video Game and Social Media Use among Children with ASD and Typically Developing Siblings," will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. "Video Game Use and Problem Behaviors in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorders," was published in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mazurek also authored an article for The Scientist Magazine about the benefits and possible negative consequences of using screen-based technologies in interventions for children with autism.
Mazurek is an assistant professor in the MU School of Health Professions and a clinical child psychologist at the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. As the largest center in Missouri specializing in ASD and other developmental disorders, the Thompson Center is a national leader in confronting the challenges of autism and other developmental conditions through its collaborative programs that integrate research, clinical service delivery, education and public policy.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 17-Apr-2013
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