NASA: There is water in lunar soil Oct 25, 2009
Mustard was on a team led by Carle Pieters, science manager of the -supported Keck Reflectance Experiment Laboratory at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Don't Miss. (CNN -- Tech)
Seeing Previously Invisible Molecules Oct 24, 2009
A technique called confocal reflectance was simultaneously used to record the green-colored sebaceous glands. The image is based on contrasts of non-fluorescent hemoglobin molecules. (Science Daily)
Turfgrass Quality Measurement Improved With GreenSeeker Sensor Oct 23, 2009
New optical sensing technology has recently been introduced to measure the reflectance from turf canopies to determine turfgrass growth, wear tolerance, herbicide tolerance, and fertility ... Bell noted that "the handheld optical sensor alone cannot provide necessary information about turfgrass texture or density that can be effectively determined by human evaluators. However, it does provide a consistent measure of reflectance that is primarily affected by a combination of turfgrass color and... (Science Daily)
New Nanostructure Technology Provides Advances In Eyeglass, Solar Energy Performance Sep 30, 2009
The films reduce the reflectance of light, and in the case of eyeglasses would capture more light, reduce glare and also reduce exposure to ultraviolet light ... In this case, the technology will create a type of nanostructure that resembles millions of tiny pyramids in a small space, which function to reduce the reflectance of any light that strikes the material ... These films, which resemble millions of tiny pyramids, reduce the reflectance of any light that strikes the material. (Science Daily)
Solar System Dwarf Planet "Haumea" Has a Mystery Spot Sep 17, 2009
But the peak reflectance varies from one side to the other, revealing the presence of a dark spot on the dimmer side ... That second examination turned up a variation in the reflectance band associated with water ice, thought to make up the bulk of the Haumean surface, at the mysterious surface feature. (Scientific American)
Water quality in orbit Sep 14, 2009
Next, the bottom half of the cartridge, which contains the disk, is placed against a German company's handheld "diffuse reflectance spectrometer," which shines light on the disk so it can read the disk's color in about two seconds. Porter says the device was developed to measure the reflectivity or gloss, and thus the quality, of finishes such as automotive paint, industrial surfaces, stainless steel and decorative metals. (EurekAlert!)
Earth experiment could buy time Sep 2, 2009
In a 1990 paper in the journal Nature, John Latham, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, US, suggested that increasing the number of droplets in maritime layer clouds (stratocumulus) could significantly increase their reflectance ... So the proposal is to inject a fine spray of sea salt from the ocean surface into the clouds; to artificially increase the number of drops, reduce their size and increase the reflectance of the clouds, making them whiter ... This... (BBC News -- Science)
First Measure Of Africa's Coastal Forests: Swampy Mangrove Destruction Threatens Shrimp Farming Aug 26, 2009
Fatoyinbo used a remote sensing software-based classification method that separates the different types of land cover like forest, urban area, and soil, differentiating by colors or reflectance. Here, mangrove forest cover is shown in green along the coast of northern Cameroon on a Landsat-derived map (with ocean shown in blue and other land cover types in black). (Science Daily)
Chase re-brands WaMu branches in San Antonio Aug 12, 2009
That effort included the use of high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning and lighting systems; low-irrigation plant landscaping; solar reflectance; recycled materials in walls, floors and ceilings; and Energy Star-rated appliances. Chase has significantly expanded its Central and South Texas presence over the past five years. (San Antonio Business Journal, TX)
Soybean varietal trials results (2) Aug 2, 2009
Protein and oil values were determined from mature seed using near infrared reflectance analysis equipment. The table values are for the 2008 season only. (Minnesota Farm Guide, MN)
Opening A New Window On Daylight, While Reducing Electricity Consumption Aug 2, 2009
The formula takes into account glass type, solar and visible light transmittance and reflectance, shading coefficient and the heat insulation value, U.. The formula shows that for a city, such as Bangkok, the potential for daylighting is high and could cut daytime electric lighting requirements significantly. (Science Daily)
August 2009 Geology and GSA Today media highlights Aug 1, 2009
Rock and soil that may contain naturally occurring asbestos (NOA), a known human carcinogen, were mapped in the Sierra Nevada, California, using an airborne imaging spectrometer, to determine if these materials could be uniquely identified with reflectance spectroscopy. Such information can be used to prepare or refine maps of areas that may contain minerals that can be asbestiform, such as serpentine and amphiboles, which were the focus of the study by Swayze et al. Although thick vegetation... (EurekAlert!)
Minerals on Mars influence the measuring of its temperature Jul 15, 2009
The results confirm that there exist significant increases and falls of up to 100 percent in the percentages of the reflectance values (the capacity of reflection of a surface) in mixtures such as those of basalt with hematite in comparison with those of basalt with magnetite ... They then mixed the minerals in different proportions with basalt, the most important volcanic rock on Mars, and measured how the infrared reflectance varied at the same wavelength levels as those at which the REMS... (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Moon's Permanently Dark Craters 'Illuminated' Jun 22, 2009
The black and white image on the left is a computer generated view of the pole from radar reflectance data. The color image on the right is a topographic map of that same area. (Science Daily)
'PAINT ALL ROOFS WHITE TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING'... May 28, 2009
" If that's the case, he's welcome to pay this idiot's gas bill this winter! Come on, man! Frequent Flyer 337 on May 27, 2009 at 07:42 PM Roofs should be installed with sprinklers as well. If you have a modern house with good insulation, a little bit of tree cover, a white roof and roof sprinkler. The evaporative cooling should keep you cool enought to never use A/C again. It just needs a thermostat to turn it on when the inside of the house goes above 95 degrees. Also if the exterior of the... (The Drudge Report)
Better understanding grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef May 26, 2009
The appearance of bovine fat is primarily affected by the absorbance of carotene and hemoglobin derivatives, the reflectance, transmittance, and fluorescence of lipids, and the reflectance and fluorescence of non-lipid components. The research concerning fat color generally agrees that forage-finished beef fat has a more yellow or creamy color than the whiter concentrate-finished beef fat color. (Great Falls Prairie Star, MT)
2 roof types earn tax credits May 20, 2009
These Energy Star roofs have a high "solar reflectance," which means that when the hot sun hits their surface, they reflect at least some of it into the atmosphere. The more heat a roof reflects, the less heat there is to penetrate through your roof and into your home. (AZCentral -- Home)
Electronic Books: Make Brighter, Full-color Electronic Readers May 7, 2009
This new entry into the race for full-color electronic paper can potentially provide better than 85 percent white-state reflectance, a performance level required for consumers to accept reflective display applications such as e-books, cell-phones and signage. If you compare this technology to what s been developed previously, there s no comparison, says developer Jason Heikenfeld, assistant professor of electrical engineering in UC s College of Engineering. (Science Daily)
New aerosol observing technique turns gray skies to blue Mar 13, 2009
"The high sensitivity of polarized reflectance offers tremendous information that could not be obtained by other techniques," he said. For instance, Light Detection and Ranging, or lidar, bounces pulses of light off of airborne aerosols and can accurately measure the vertical distribution of aerosols. (EurekAlert!)
The unintended consequences of changing nature's balance Feb 17, 2009
When vegetation dies off, the sharp drop in chlorophyll content reduces near-infrared reflectance in a way that can be recorded. "You can clearly see the difference between healthy and dead plants in our images," Lucieer said. (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
