Senin, 22 Agustus 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Monday, August 22, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Monday, August 22, 2011

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Student turns paper mill waste into ‘green’ material for industrial applications (August 22, 2011) -- A student in Israel has developed a method to use paper mill waste to produce ecologically friendly, industrial foams from renewable resources. ... > full story

New 'bionic' leg gives amputees a natural gait (August 21, 2011) -- A new lower-limb prosthetic uses the latest advances in computer, sensor, electric motor and battery technology to give it bionic capabilities. ... > full story

Data traveling by light (August 21, 2011) -- Regular LEDs can be turned into optical WLAN with only a few additional components, thanks to visible light communication. The lights are then not just lighting up, they also transfer data. They send films in HD quality to your iPhone or laptop, with no loss in quality, quickly and safely. ... > full story

Miniature power plants for aircraft bodies (August 21, 2011) -- Sensor networks are supposed to pervade the body shell of airplanes in the future – much like a nervous system. And, newly developed sensors do not require any external power supply. ... > full story

Giant space blob glows from within: Primordial cloud of hydrogen is centrally powered (August 19, 2011) -- Observations from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope have shed light on the power source of a rare vast cloud of glowing gas in the early universe. The observations show for the first time that this giant "Lyman-alpha blob" -- one of the largest single objects known -- must be powered by galaxies embedded within it. ... > full story

Powerful X-rays enable development of successful treatment for melanoma and other life-threatening diseases (August 19, 2011) -- Powerful X-ray technology is revealing new insights into diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to the swine flu, and, most recently, enabled the discovery of a groundbreaking new drug treatment for malignant melanoma. The drug, Zelboraf (vemurafenib), has just received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. In showing the structures of diseased and disease-causing molecules, these light sources enable scientists to suggest potential new treatments. ... > full story

Molecular scientists develop color-changing stress sensor (August 19, 2011) -- It is helpful -- even life-saving -- to have a warning sign before a structural system fails, but, when the system is only a few nanometers in size, having a sign that's easy to read is a challenge. Now, thanks to a clever bit of molecular design by bioengineers and chemists, such warning can come in the form of a simple color change. ... > full story

Quantum optical link sets new time records (August 19, 2011) -- Quantum communication could be an option for absolutely secure transfer of data. The key component in quantum communication over long distances is entanglement between two atomic systems. Entanglement is very fragile and until now researchers have only been able to maintain the entanglement for a fraction of a second. But researchers have now succeeded in maintaining the entanglement for up to an hour. ... > full story

Research team achieves first two-color STED microscopy of living cells (August 19, 2011) -- Current applications of STED microscopy have been limited to single color imaging of living cells and multicolor imaging in "fixed" or preserved cells. However, to study active processes, such as protein interactions, a two-color STED imaging technique is needed in living cells. This has now been achieved for the first time. ... > full story

New images reveal structures of the solar wind as it travels toward and impacts Earth (August 19, 2011) -- Using data collected by NASA's STEREO spacecraft, researchers have developed the first detailed images of solar wind structures as plasma and other particles from a coronal mass ejection traveled 93 million miles and impacted Earth. ... > full story

Are those liquids explosive? (August 19, 2011) -- A team of researchers in Spain has developed a method to determine the chemical composition of liquids seized by police and suspected to be explosive. Some of the samples analyzed contained substances hazardous to health, such as methanol and boric acid. ... > full story

Climate change and ozone destruction hastened with nitrous oxide used in agriculture (August 19, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new binding site for nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrous oxide reductase, an enzyme containing copper, plays a key role in the biochemical process by reducing N2O to N2. This enzyme is highly sensitive to oxygen and is often precipitated in the reaction chain, meaning large amounts of N2O are released by fertilized fields in the farming industry. ... > full story

DNA construction software saves time, resources and money (August 19, 2011) -- Scientists have developed the first software package for automating DNA construction that not only makes the process faster and more efficient but -- with an eye on the economics of scientific discovery -- also identifies which construction strategy would be the most cost-effective. ... > full story

Cashless parking: Windshield microchip to make it easier (August 19, 2011) -- Vacant parking spaces in town are thin on the ground. Finding one is just as tiresome as making sure you have the right change for the parking machine. An adhesive microchip on the windshield will make things much easier by unlocking the door to cashless parking. ... > full story

Ions control shape of nanofibers grown on clear substrate (August 19, 2011) -- Researchers have found a new way to develop straight carbon nanofibers on a transparent substrate. Growing such nanofiber coatings is important for use in novel biomedical research tools, solar cells, water repellent coatings and others. The technique utilizes a charged chromium grid, and relies on ions to ensure the nanofibers are straight, rather than curling -- which limits their utility. ... > full story

Disordered networks synchronise faster than small world networks (August 19, 2011) -- Synchronization occurs when individual elements in a complex network behave in line with each other. This applies to real-life examples such as the way neurons fire during an epileptic seizure or the phenomenon of crickets falling into step with one another. ... > full story

Is oil pricing itself out of the market? (August 19, 2011) -- University of Alberta researcher Andrew Leach likes the way Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal thinks. ... > full story

Cosmic eye emerges from exhaustive tests in UK space lab (August 19, 2011) -- A pioneering camera and spectrometer for the James Webb Space Telescope – the gigantic successor to the Hubble Telescope – has just completed cryogenic testing. This testing subjected the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to the harsh conditions it will experience when it is launched into space onboard the Webb Telescope. ... > full story

Physicists uncover new data on adenine, a crucial building block of life (August 18, 2011) -- Physicists have shown that one of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, adenine, has an unexpectedly variable range of ionization energies along its reaction pathways. ... > full story

Study exposes habit formation in smartphone users (August 18, 2011) -- Smartphone users develop the habit of frequently checking their phones for e-mail, social media, and news, shows a new study. The researchers were surprised to find users engaging in checking behaviors throughout the waking hours. Furthermore, a sizable proportion of smartphone use consists solely of checkings. ... > full story

Honeycomb carbon crystals possibly detected in space (August 18, 2011) -- NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted the signature of flat carbon flakes, called graphene, in space. If confirmed, this would be the first-ever cosmic detection of the material -- which is arranged like chicken wire in flat sheets that are one atom thick. ... > full story

Embryo development obeys the laws of hydrodynamics (August 18, 2011) -- The law of hydrodynamics can contribute to our understanding of how a cluster of embryonic cells can transform into an animal within the first 36 hours of development, according to new research. ... > full story

Football analysis leads to advance in artificial intelligence (August 18, 2011) -- Computer scientists in the field of artificial intelligence have made an important advance that blends computer vision, machine learning and automated planning, and created a new system that may improve everything from factory efficiency to airport operation or nursing care. And it's based on watching the Oregon State University Beavers play football. ... > full story

Ensuring reliable wireless alarm beacons for first responders (August 18, 2011) -- New tests are helping to ensure that wireless safety equipment such as alarm beacons for firefighters and other emergency responders will operate reliably in the presence of other wireless devices. ... > full story

New method can speed development of organic semiconductors for flexible displays (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have not only created a new material for high-speed organic semiconductors, they have also come up with a new approach that can take months, even years, off the development timeline. ... > full story

No technical know-how needed: Endless forms web site helps users 'breed' 3-D printable objects (August 18, 2011) -- Forget draft tables and complicated computer-aided design programs: You dream it. Endless Forms helps you design it. Engineers are allowing anyone to point, click, collaborate and create online in the evolution of printable, three-dimensional objects. ... > full story

Moon younger than previously thought, analysis of lunar rock reveals (August 18, 2011) -- Analysis of a piece of lunar rock brought back to Earth by the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 has shown that the Moon may be much younger than previously believed. This is concluded in new research conducted by an international team of scientists that includes James Connelly from the Centre for Star and Planet Formation, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. Their work has just been published in Nature. ... > full story

Computers will be able to tell social traits from human faces, researchers predict (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have developed new computational tools that help computers determine whether faces fall into categories like attractive or threatening, according to a recent paper. ... > full story

Computational method predicts new uses for existing medicines; Match-making program uses gene expression patterns (August 18, 2011) -- Scientists used computers and publicly available genomic information to predict new uses for existing medicines. The approach could save time and money compared to traditional drug discovery methods. Among the study's surprise findings: an anti-ulcer medicine that slowed the growth of lung cancer, and an anticonvulsant that might alleviate inflammatory bowel diseases. ... > full story

Researchers find way to align gold nanorods on a large scale (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a simple, scalable way to align gold nanorods, particles with optical properties that could be used for emerging biomedical imaging technologies. ... > full story

Near-infrared imaging system shows promise as future pancreatic cancer diagnostic tool (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that optical coherence tomography (OCT), a high resolution optical imaging technique that works by bouncing near-infrared laser light off biological tissue, can reliably distinguish between pancreatic cysts that are low-risk and high-risk for becoming malignant. ... > full story

Physicists undo the 'coffee ring effect' (August 17, 2011) -- A team of physicists has shown how to disrupt the "coffee ring effect" -- the ring-shaped stain of particles leftover after coffee drops evaporate -- by changing the particle shape. The discovery provides new tools for engineers to deposit uniform coatings. ... > full story

Robotic refueling module, soon to be relocated to permanent space station position (August 17, 2011) -- NASA's groundbreaking Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) will reach a key milestone in September when the International Space Station (ISS) robots transfer the module to its permanent home on space station's ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-4. Robotic operations for the technology demonstration are currently slated to begin soon afterwards. ... > full story

Can stock markets regulate themselves? History of markets offers insight into effects of regulation on success of initial public offerings (August 17, 2011) -- Whenever crisis threatens the financial markets, voices are loud in calling for greater control. It is dubious, however, whether tighter regulation would actually offer investors better protection against losing their capital, economists argue in a new historical review of the markets. ... > full story

Reliability issues for carbon nanotubes in future electronics uncovered (August 17, 2011) -- Carbon nanotubes theoretically can carry 1,000 times more electric current than a metal conductor of the same size, so researchers hope they might replace copper wiring in future nanoscale electronics, but recent tests suggest device reliability is a major issue. ... > full story

Wind-turbine placement produces tenfold power increase, researchers say (August 17, 2011) -- The power output of wind farms can be increased at least tenfold simply by optimizing the placement of turbines on a given plot of land, say researchers conducting a unique field study at an experimental two-acre wind farm in northern Los Angeles County, California. ... > full story

New tool allows first responders to visualize post-event disaster environments (August 17, 2011) -- Using iPad™ mobile devices, emergency preparedness officials and first responders participating in an exercise, were able, for the first time, to make use of a new, science-based software tool that allows them to view and modify accurate models of building damage and other post-event disaster effects. ... > full story

Researchers improving GPS accuracy in the third dimension (August 17, 2011) -- Researchers who are working to fix global positioning system (GPS) errors have devised software to take a more accurate measurement of altitude -- particularly in mountainous areas. The software is still under development, but in initial tests it enabled centimeter-scale GPS positioning -- including altitude -- as often as 97 percent of the time. ... > full story

Phone losing charge? With photovoltaic polarizers, devices could be powered by sunlight, own backlight (August 17, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a novel energy harvesting and recycling concept for electronic devices -- incorporating their LCD screens with built-in photovoltaic polarizers -- so they could convert ambient light, sunlight, and the device's own backlight into electricity. Called polarizing organic photovoltaics (or ZOPVs), these can potentially boost the function of a LCD, Light Crystal Displays, by working simultaneously as a polarizer, as a photovoltaic device and as an ambient light or sunlight photovoltaic panel. ... > full story

A new look below the surface of nanomaterials (August 17, 2011) -- Scientists can now look deeper into new materials to study their structure and behavior. A new technique will enable more detailed study of new types of materials for use in electronics, energy production, chemistry and other applications. ... > full story

Holograms reveal brain's inner workings: Microscopy technique used to observe activity of neurons like never before (August 17, 2011) -- Like far away galaxies, powerful tools are required to bring the minute inner workings of neurons into focus. Borrowing a technique from materials science, a team of neurobiologists, psychiatrists, and advanced imaging specialists from Switzerland report how digital holographic microscopy can now be used to observe neuronal activity in real-time and in three dimensions -- with up to 50 times greater resolution than ever before. ... > full story

Mimicking biological complexity, in a tiny particle (August 17, 2011) -- Tiny particles made of polymers hold great promise for targeted delivery of drugs and as structural scaffolds for building artificial tissues. However, current production methods for such microparticles yield a limited array of shapes and can only be made with certain materials, restricting their usefulness. New technology could lead to better drug delivery and artificial tissues that imitate natural tissue. ... > full story

Gemini-Scout robot likely to reach trapped miners ahead of rescuers (August 17, 2011) -- Robotics engineers have designed the Gemini-Scout Mine Rescue Robot, which finds dangers and can provide relief to trapped miners. ... > full story

Cosmological evolution of dark matter is similar to that of visible matter (August 17, 2011) -- Large cosmic structures made up of dark and normal matter evolve along the same lines -- this is one of the most important conclusions emerging from the latest computer simulations. ... > full story

Diamond’s quantum memory (August 17, 2011) -- Two completely different quantum systems have been successfully joined. This should pave the way to feasible quantum-computer microchips. ... > full story

Moon and Earth may be younger than originally thought (August 17, 2011) -- New research using a technique that measures the isotopes of lead and neodymium in lunar crustal rocks shows that the moon and Earth may be millions of years younger than originally thought. ... > full story

Scientists find new uses for existing drugs by mining gene-activity data banks (August 17, 2011) -- Researchers have paired up medicines and maladies with help from a molecular matchmaker. When the scientists applied an "opposites attract" algorithm to publicly available databases, surprising sparks flew: They found potential compatibilities between numerous existing drugs and diseases for which those drugs had never before been thought to be beneficial. ... > full story

Man in the moon looking younger (August 17, 2011) -- Earth's Moon could be younger than previously thought. The prevailing theory of our Moon's origin is that it was created by a giant impact between a large planet-like object and the proto-Earth. The Moon formed from melted material that was ejected into space. Analysis of lunar rock samples thought to have been derived from the original magma has given scientists a new estimate of the Moon's age. ... > full story


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