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Doing a little research into this topic and I was wondering. How would a scientist measure whether or not a subject is experiencing "butterflies", aside from self reporting? Are there several ways to measure it, and if so, what are they? Thanks for your answers!

My mother in law is moving to a new house, and asked me to take care of several house plants for her. Among them is a little cactus, though I'm not sure what kind it is. The plant itself is flat and wide, small enough to sit in a 4" to 5" pot, with lots of long round tendrils that run along the ground- it looks essentially like a little mop head.

I'm worried about it because several of the tendrils have gone brown and brittle. While there are some parts that are plump and bright green, so much of it is brown that I'm concerned it might be dying. My mother in law says that it's been that way for a long time, but I'd like to try to rehabilitate it, if I can. I've only had it for a week, so I haven't done much other than water it once (the soil was dry) and give it sunlight (south facing window). Is there anything else I can do to get this plant looking healthy again? Thanks!

I've been commissioned to make a birthday cake next week, and have been contemplating using a Swiss meringue buttercream instead of the traditional shortening/butter+powdered sugar+milk+flavors, etc. But since I've never used it before, I have many questions:

Many different sources say Swiss buttercreams are not as sweet as American buttercream. Would Swiss buttercream be considered an acquired taste?

The decorations used on this cake call for medium consistency buttercream. How stable is Swiss buttercream? Can it be used to pipe borders, stars, shells, dimensional decorating, etc? How do you adjust the consistency if necessary?

What is the shelf life of a cake with Swiss buttercream frosting? Can it be left at room temperature, and if so, for how long? How long can a frosted cake be refrigerated, and what precautions (airtight container vs box) are necessary?

The most informative answer gets best answer! Thank you so much!

All the sources I've read say to refrigerate cakes filled with whipped filling, but say that cooked fillings can be left out at room temperature. Which is it in my case? If it helps, my recipe contains heavy cream, milk, egg yolk, sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, and vanilla, whipped and cooked before cooling. Thank you!

The other day I bought a package of Wilton gel food coloring, only to discover that it is processed in a facility that processes shellfish (and I'm highly allergic). I was looking online at the Ateco food coloring kit, only I can't find much more information on it. Does anyone know if it is safe for those with shellfish allergy? Since I'm also allergic to eggs, does it contain eggs? My allergy to eggs is not as severe, so unless it contains eggs, I'm fine. If not the Ateco, is there another brand you can recommend? Thank you so much!

I'm writing a story and want to use flowering trees as a background for several scenes, however, I don't know too many species of flowering trees whose blooms last longer than a few weeks. I had considered dogwood, but as far as I know, they only last 3 weeks tops. Can anyone suggest some trees with long lasting blooms (4+ weeks that grow in temperate/sub-tropical zones)? Also:

How long do myrtle tree blooms last?

In case there isn't a tree that I like, I was considering wisteria. How long do wisteria blooms last?

Thanks so much!

I'm working on a book and have some idea of what I want my characters to look like, but I'd like to play around with features just to flesh them out a bit more. However, most sites I've come across require you to join or don't feature fantasy characters; if they do, they're randomly generated. Any tips on a site that will allow me to play with fantasy characters, as well as humans with unusual skin or hair colors that don't look too cartoony? Thanks.

My husband gave me a bouquet of pink roses for Valentine's, and I've noticed that on several of the stems, there are new branches and stems that are growing; one has grown a couple of inches since Tuesday. The blooms themselves are still healthy, though some of the leaves are drying out. Is there any way to propagate these cuttings, or are the roses likely too far gone? Thanks!

All my life I have had what I thought was curly hair- when wet, it immediately forms medium sized ringlets and corkscrews. But then I came across an article that says that my hair type is not truly curly, but is actually wavy, because true curly hair requires chemicals in order to straighten it. I can easily go from curly to straight with just a blow drier or straightening iron, and the effect lasts until I wash it. And all I need is water to go back to curls. So is my hair curly, or just wavy?

Bear with me; lots of info! Due to an ion channel disorder, I am not supposed to have epi with my local anesthesia; the few times I have left me with numbness that did not wear off for 8 hours. Last year I had to have oral anesthesia for the first time, and since I couldn't have epi, the dentist used carbocaine. It made me incredibly dizzy and confused; I could not organize my thoughts and could barely stay awake. Since I had never had it before, I thought it might be normal and didn't say anything. But when I relayed the story to my new dentist, he said it was not at all normal.

What could that have been? I have had other caine anesthetics before, so I don't think it's an allergy, although I did have some swelling after the procedure. Is carbocaine something I should avoid in the future? Thanks a lot!

Just had a run in with a virus, so I had to have my comp formatted. Among other things, I lost the webcam recording software that my computer came with. Any recommendations for a good free software? I'm mostly interested in recording video from the inbuilt webcam. Thanks!

Since my husband and I have decided to cloth diaper our baby, I was also looking into cloth wipes for cleaning (because if there's one thing I know I'll accidentally do, it's throw the disposable wipes in with the diapers!) So far I'm more interested in using the wet system, to make sure baby's bottom gets nice and clean. Some folks have recommended wipe warmers as an easy way to keep the wipes wet, and warm too. But I've read mixed reviews as to whether they're worth it. Some people say they dry the wipes out, others say it encourages mold and yeast growth. For those of you who have used wipe warmers, how common are these problems? Is there much you can do to get around them? Which brand do you recommend? (I have the Prince Lionheart on my registry.) Thanks a bunch!

Perhaps I should start with the basics of my hair: I have mid-back length, wavy/curly hair that's prone to dryness. My hair is also on the fine/thin side. I don't color treat it or use perms or relaxers. I do heat treat it about once a week with a hair iron.

About six months ago I moved across the country to a place with a really dry climate (I used to live in a relatively humid place). I was managing my dry hair fine for a long time,but since I've moved here I have had a really hard time keeping it healthy. It's become very brittle, and the dryness seems to encourage tangling, which makes the problem worse. I used to wash my hair several times a week, but now can only wash it once a week, otherwise the dryness gets worse. I use conditioners, but they don't seem to help very much. So on to questions:

My mother suggested the other day that I should probably cut it, to minimize the strain on the roots. Would that help?

I'm starting to think that the hair ironing is making my hair more brittle, even though I use heat styling spray before I iron, because I see lots of broken hair after I iron it. My other alternative for styling is to leave my hair curly, but whenever I do, I have to fight to detangle it, which only causes lots of breakage. Which styling technique is probably doing more damage?

My sister suggested investing in a leave-in conditioner and detangler. It's also been suggested that I try a deep conditioner, but I haven't found one that helps a lot. Any suggestions on which is better?

Thanks, everyone!

Ok, I'm diving. Initially I entered pregnancy under the illusion that I'd go 100% disposable, but frankly, I am not relishing the idea of spending $30 a pop every time baby needs diapers, or running out of them at some inconvenient hour. And since I'm planning to stay home with the baby, I'm starting to flirt harder with trying reusable diapers (I'd likely do both disposable and reusable.)

So here's what I'd like to know:

-Which brands would you recommend? I'm factoring in cost per diaper/liner, and how well they work (do they smell easily, do they leak easily, are they hard to wash, do they take long to dry, are they bulky, etc).

-Are there brands that are better for a boy vs. girl? (We're having a boy.)

-Are all in ones better than those with liners/prefolds? (I'm currently headed more towards all in ones.)

-Which brands do you suggest avoiding, and why?

-Is it best to wash daily, or every other day? On average, how many diapers will I need if I'm washing daily? Every other day?

-Which would be better to start our newborn on- cloth or disposable? I've never used a cloth diaper on any child I've ever taken care of, so it'll all be new to me, but I don't want to make the baby uncomfortable if he gets used to one kind and then I suddenly switch.

Thanks a ton for all your answers, from both of us! (I know baby can't talk yet, but he's grateful.)

I was going through my registry with my mom, when she commented that I haven't put any diapers on there. Truth be told, I'm not even sure which brand to go with, which count to commit to (I don't want to have a bunch of diapers that I don't like or don't work), etc. I was browsing a little, and came across gdiapers. I'd considered trying cloth diapers before, but wasn't crazy about the idea of being knee deep in diaper laundry every day (spit up and soiled onesies is enough). I like the fact that they have a disposable component and a reusable component, but I'm confused. Do you have to change the outerpant every time you change the baby, or do you just dispose of the inner lining and put a new lining in? They're a little pricey, so if I go with them, I don't want to add a bunch of laundry to that bill as well. Would anyone here recommend them? Thanks!

Even though our baby is due in May (it's a boy!), I can't help but think ahead towards what to pack for baby to come home. I've been browsing different newborn retailers, but a few questions keep coming up.

Odds are there'll be plenty of friends and family and cameras flying, which means I should pick an outfit carefully. But I'm not sure what's best. I've seen lots of pairs of baby jeans and khakis, which look so cute, but how comfy is that for a newborn? On the other hand, I could dress baby in footie sleepers, but is that an ok outfit for car travel? The good thing is that I have more options, since May is a pretty warm month where I live. So far, I'm leaning towards baby jersey pants and a printed onesie or tee, which seem most comfy. What did you moms dress your newborn in when leaving the hospital? Thanks!

My husband and I are expecting our first baby this spring. Because my husband was born with a congenital heart defect, our baby is being screened prenatally, to catch any potential problems. The perinatologist who is handling our case asked for specific details about my husband's condition. Since my husband was an infant during the worst of it, his mother was the person I spoke to for information, but her information is confusing me.

As far as I understand, my husband was born with an aortic stenosis as his official diagnosis. The way his mother explained it, he was born with some sort of hole in his aortic valve, and some time after he was born, his aortic valve became affected by plaque. It worsened, and he was scheduled to have the valve replaced, but when he was checked right before surgery, the plaque was gone.

All the reading I've done on congenital aortic stenosis mentions children born with a bicuspid valve, or with a more narrow aortic valve, but I've never read anything like what my mother-in-law described, and I'd imagine that if he did have some kind of hole in the aortic valve, it would have to be repaired right away, wouldn't it? My husband has no other defects to his heart, just the aortic valve, and his recent echocardiograms have come back normal.

Is there something I'm missing, or perhaps is my mother-in-law mistaken? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

Now that I'm 17 weeks, my doctor is talking about doing the MSAFP. My hubs and I turned down our first trimester screen, although it took me a while to be at peace with the decision. Now I feel like, "Here we go again", because it's just the same old scenario, where if I get a false positive I have to contemplate an amnio. I'd be slightly more comfortable with an amnio now than I was in my first trimester, since the baby is well established, but I'm still worried about complications.

Does anyone know, or have a rough idea of the rate of false positives for an MSAFP vs a first trimester screen? Frankly, if the rate is relatively high, then I probably will avoid it. Has anyone done the MSAFP and was grateful, or regretted it? Thanks for all the replies!

I listen to music all day, every day. Lately I've been listening to Owl City a lot, and I've noticed that every time I play "Hot Air Balloon", my baby starts moving a lot! He doesn't do this with any other song I play, just that one, and he seems to recognize it pretty quickly; only a few seconds in and he's grooving! So strange! Has that happened to anyone else?

Yesterday I had a prenatal appointment. Everything went ok, but when I was weighed, I hadn't gained any weight since last time (I've gained 5 lbs since the beginning of my pregnancy). The doctor didn't say anything about it, but the tone and look on the nurse's face has me a little concerned. My doctor wants to see me in two weeks, though he didn't exactly say why. Should I be concerned, or start counting calories? Thanks.