Tag: physical sciences
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Faster Process Developed for Ultrasound Materials Testing
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing (IZFP) in Saarbrücken, Germany have developed a faster process for testing industrial materials with ultrasound. The new methods provide three-dimensional images at up to 100 times the speed of conventional ultrasound. Ultrasound now has the technical capability to be a quality assurance tool for industrial materials —…
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New Pilots’ Forecast Computes In-Flight Icing Chances
Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado has developed a computer-generated forecast that provides pilots with information on the chance of encountering dangerous in-flight icing conditions. The Federal Aviation Administration provided funding for the project. Each year in the United States, 20-40 aircraft accidents are linked to in-flight icing encounters,…
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Company-University Partnership to Help Develop Nuclear Fuel
IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. in Vancouver, Canada signed research agreements with Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) operated by Texas A&M University in College Station, to advance the company’s beryllium oxide (BeO) nuclear fuels R&D project. The project aims to develop high thermal conductivity BeO nuclear fuel that is…
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Dow Chemical, Biotech to Partner on Bio-Based Acrylic Acid
Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan and OPX Biotechnologies Inc. in Boulder, Colorado have agreed to develop an industrial scale process for the production of bio-based acrylic acid from renewable feedstocks. OPX Bio recently completed an 18-month pilot project showing that its technology based on genomic engineering could manufacture acrylic acid from renewable sources. The…
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NSF Grant Awarded for Nanotech Color-Enhanced MRI Scans
An engineering faculty member at University of Houston received a grant from National Science Foundation (NSF) for research on a process that adds color to the standard black-and-while MRI image. The three-year, $300,000 grant supports the work of mechanical engineering professor Li Sun (pictured left), as well as colleagues at Houston and the University of…
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Business Council Releases Ecosystem Valuation Guide
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Geneva, Switzerland released today its Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV), to help businesses better understand the benefits and value of ecosystem services like fresh water, food, fiber, and natural hazard protection. The CEV guide can be downloaded free of charge from the WBCSD Web site.…
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Wind Turbine Blade Edge Helps Reduce Power Costs
Denmark’s National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy and three corporate partners have developed a controllable trailing edge for wind turbine blades that can reduce loads on turbines and help reduce the cost of electricity from wind power. The lab, known as Risø DTU, is part of the Technical University of Denmark in Roskilde. Wind turbines are…
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Smartphone App Gives Voice to Those Who Cannot Speak
Students at University of Toronto in Canada have designed a smartphone application that merges a voice synthesizer with a GPS to give people who cannot speak the words they need. The app, called MyVoice, is available for the iPhone, with an Android version in development. MyVoice is an assistive and augmentative communication device that adds…
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Energy Dept. Funding Solar Manufacturing Development
The Department of Energy has awarded three sets of grants to promote development of advanced solar photovoltaic (PV)-related manufacturing processes in the U.S. The $112.5 million awards over five years are part of the department’s SunShot Initiative that aims to make large-scale solar energy systems cost competitive without subsidies by the end of the decade.…
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Lamination Process Enables Microchannel Heat Exchangers
Oregon State University researchers in Corvallis have invented a new way to use lamination to produce microchannel heat exchangers for a number of commercial uses that require efficient heat transfer. Engineering professor Brian Paul and doctoral candidate Prawin Paulraj published their findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Manufacturing Processes (paid subscription required).…