Tag: physical sciences
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Chemical in Hand Soap Found to Impair Muscle Functions
Research at University of California at Davis and University of Colorado in Aurora indicates triclosan, an antibacterial chemical used in soap and other personal-care products, hinders muscle contractions in animals, causing weakness in mice and slower swimming ability in fish. The team led by UC Davis veterinary medical professor Isaac Pessah published its findings online…
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Sapphire Fiber Optics Deliver Higher Transmission Capacity
Materials scientists and engineers from Clemson University in South Carolina and University of Illinois developed sapphire fibers with greater capacity for high-energy optical transmissions than current silica-based fibers. The team led by John Ballato, director of Clemson’s Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (pictured left), appears online in this week’s issue of Nature…
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New Fuel Cell Generates More Power from Wastewater
Ecological engineers at Oregon State University in Corvallis developed techniques that advance the use of wastewater from cities or factories to generate electricity. The findings of the team led by Hong Liu (pictured right), professor of biologicial and ecological engineering, appear in the journal Energy and Environmental Science; paid subscription required. Earlier microbial fuel cells…
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Polymer Materials Discovered That Resist Bacteria Attachment
Researchers at University of Nottingham in the U.K. and Massachusetts Institute of Technology identified a new class of polymer materials that resist the attachment of bacterial pathogens. The team headed by Nottingham’s Morgan Alexander appears online in the journal Nature Biotechnology (paid subscription required). According to the university, infections related to medical devices, caused by…
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Math Model Identifies Network Source of Rumors, Epidemics
Computer scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) devised mathematical routines to dissect interactions in a network to uncover the source of epidemics and rumors, as well as criminal masterminds. Results of the research led by Pedro Pinto of EFPL’s Audiovisual Communications Laboratory appear today in the journal Physical Review Letters…
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Imaging Technology Devised to Identify Infection Response
Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville developed techniques using current imaging technologies to generate a three-dimensional view of the body’s response to infection. The findings of the team led by pathologist Eric Skaar (pictured right) appear in a recent issue of the journal Cell Host and Microbe; paid subscription required. The Vanderbilt team combines magnetic…
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Control Algorithm Developed to Fly Robot Aircraft Indoors
Aeronautical and computer engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology built and tested an autonomously driven fixed-wing model aircraft guided by algorithms that let it navigate a complex indoor flight space. The team from MIT’s Robust Robotics Group describe their invention in a paper presented in May at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.…
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Technology Developed for Mass Wireless Chip Printing
Engineers in Korea developed a process for printing cheap electronic devices on every day items that can transmit data to smartphones. The work of the authors from Sunchon National University and Paru Printed Electronics Research Institute is described in the journal Nanotechnology (free registration required), published by Institute of Physics. The team led by Jinsoo…
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Renewable Power Storage, Management Modules in Development
Systems that integrate renewable power sources with battery storage and management modules are being developed for pilot testing at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany. The first of the modular systems, with a 50 kilowatt capacity, will be constructed on the Karlsruhe campus by the end of the year. The modular energy systems are being…
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UC San Diego, Yale to Build Neuroscience Gateway
University of California in San Diego and Yale University are developing an online gateway to provide high-performance computational tools for neuroscientists. The Neuroscience Gateway project is funded by a three year, $707,000 grant from National Science Foundation. UC San Diego will make available its supercomputer center and Neuroscience Information Framework for neuroscientists to access advanced…