Tag: physical sciences
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Addition of Lightning Data Increases Tornado Warning Times
Engineers at Earth Networks in Germantown, Maryland developed a system for analyzing lightning occurrences during severe weather they say can increase lead times in predicting most tornados by 50 percent. Chonglin (Charlie) Liu of Earth Networks will discuss the company’s dangerous thunderstorm alert system in a presentation this week at a meeting of the American…
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Battery Life Extended for Working Electric Locomotive
Engineers at Pennsylvania State University in University Park wrote a new energy-reviving algorithm for lead-acid batteries that power an electric locomotive hauling freight for Norfolk Southern Railway. The team led by Penn State mechanical engineering professor Christopher Rahn describe their research, funded by Department of Energy, in this month’s issue of Journal of Power Sources…
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University, Companies Partner on Air Cleaning Technology
A chemistry professor at University of Copenhagen in Denmark is working with a Danish entrepreneur and waste processor to test a process for cleaning polluting particles from industrial emissions. Environmental chemist Matthew Johnson (pictured right) and the university have also patented the process he devised, which is based on on the natural ability of the…
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Economic Growth Affected by Parasitic, Insect-Spread Disease
Researchers in the U.S. and France built a mathematical model to estimate the impact of health on economic data that indicates infectious diseases spread by insects, called vector-borne diseases, and parasites found in tropical regions affect economic development in those countries. Their analysis is published online in the journal PLoS Biology. The team led by…
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Collaboration to Build Three New Pediatric Medical Devices
A partnership between Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel will develop three new medical devices designed to meet children’s medical needs. The collaboration that combines Cincinnati Children’s Hospital’s clinical staff with engineers from Ben-Gurion was first announced last May to help address unmet needs for pediatric medical devices,…
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MRI Helps Screen Alzheimer’s, Brain Degeneration Dementia
Medical researchers at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia developed an algorithm based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to differentiate cases of Alzheimer’s disease from front temporal lobe degeneration, which has similar dementia symptoms. The findings from the research team led by postdoctoral fellow and first author Corey McMillan appear online today in the journal Neurology…
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University Develops, Patents New Coke Fuel Process
Researchers at Purdue University’s Calumet campus in Hammond, Indiana created a new less-expensive process for producing coke, a derivative of coal used in the making of steel, and received a U.S. patent for their discovery. Patent number 8,287,696 was awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in October to Purdue-Calumet physics professor Robert Kramer…
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Mobility Device with Health Monitor Developed for Disabled
Biomedical engineers at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan built a robotics device that provides mobility, lifting, standing, and health monitoring for disabled persons. The team led by NCKU engineering professors Fong-Chin Su and Tain-Song Chen demonstrated the system at a recent forum sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. The device, known as the…
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$50,000 Challenge Seeks Simple, Inexpensive Timer
A new challenge on InnoCentive asks for a simple, reusable, and inexpensive timing mechanism based on the principles of reverse fluid flow and color change, with a total purse of $50,000. This type of competition — called a reduction-to-practice challenge — requires a written description and evidence of a working prototype, with one-page abstracts due…
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Cell Phone, GPS Data Identify Urban Traffic Jam Sources
Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California at Berkeley devised a method for locating sources of urban traffic jams with anonymous data from cell phone records, which can encourage more effective strategies for reducing congestion. The team led by MIT civil and environmental engineering professor Marta González reported its findings in yesterday’s…