Tag: physical sciences
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Programming Protocol Cuts Computer Energy Use
Researchers at University of Washington in Seattle have created a software programming protocol called EnerJ that reduces energy consumption in simulations by up to 50 percent. The computer scientists and engineers will present their research next week in San Jose, California at the Programming Language Design and Implementation annual meeting. The team led by UW…
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Solvay to Form Research Center at Korean Women’s University
Solvay, a chemical company in Brussels, Belgium, says it will locate its Korean research center on the campus of EWHA Women’s University in Seoul. The company’s investment in this venture will total EUR 16.8 million (USD 24.0 million). Solvay plans to invest EUR 13 million in a Research, Development and Technology (RDT) Centre at EWHA.…
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Engineers Build Compact Diagnostic Biosensor
Engineers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee have developed a small silicon-based sensor for medical diagnostics and detecting toxins. Their findings appear in current issue of the journal Optics Express. The sensor was originally designed to detect particular DNA sequences, which can be helpful in identifying if a person is predisposed to disorders or conditions…
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State, Industry Funding Support University Solar Center
The State of Ohio and several companies are contributing funds for an R&D center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland to boost the lifetime of solar energy technologies. The Solar-Durability and Lifetime Extension (S-DLE) Center at Case Western Reserve will have labs and test facilities to evaluate materials and components under extreme conditions. The…
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Process Devised for Custom-Made Composite Materials
Materials scientists and engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge have developed a process for generating composite materials with customized mechanical properties. The team published its findings last month in the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required). The research, funded by the U.S. Army, started looking into materials that could serve as armor for…
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Challenge Seeks Faster, Simpler Crop Analysis Methods
A new challenge on InnoCentive seeks better tools for farmers to evaluate their management practices and improve the use of fertilizer and other crop inputs. The competition, sponsored by the Environmental Defense Fund and the Iowa Soybean Association, will award a $15,000 prize to the winning entry. The deadline for the challenge is 13 August…
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Study Explains How Tinted Lenses Offer Relief from Migraines
Researchers at Michigan State University in East Lansing have discovered the process that enables precision-tinted lenses to relieve migraine sufferers of their headaches. Radiologist Jie Huang and colleagues from MSU and other institutions published their findings in the online issue of the journal Cephalalgia (free for a limited period of time). Scientists studying migraines have…
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Hydrogen for Energy Generated from Ethanol, Sunlight
A team of researchers from Scotland, New Zealand, and Spain have developed a simpler and less expensive technology to generate hydrogen for energy. Their findings appear online in the journal Nature Chemistry (paid subscription required). In this process, a solid photocatalyst is placed in a container with ethanol and exposed to ultraviolet light, part of…
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Virginia Universities Form Nanotech Research Center
The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, have begun a joint center to advance research in electronics based on nanotechnology. The Virginia Nanoelectronics Center (ViNC) will study properties of and develop materials at nanoscale, where one nanometer is equal to one billionth of…
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Computer Engineers Boost Multi-Core Chip Performance
Engineering researchers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed two techniques to help maximize performance of multi-core computer chips by allowing them to retrieve data more efficiently. Professor Yan Solihin of NC State’s engineering department and former doctoral student Fang Liu will present their results next month at the International Conference on Measurement and…