Topics

31

Applied Science / Rapid and Simple Toxicity Detection

« on: February 04, 2014, 04:37:10 PM »

Modern Water (UK) design, develop and provision analytical instruments and technologies for monitoring toxicity in water, soil, food and industry. Their systems use bioluminescent bacteria to perform biosensor testing that detects the presence of toxic substances.

Biosensor tests using bioluminescent bacteria have been in use for 30 years and their capability in detecting toxic substances is well understood. They use the principle that certain strains of bacteria emit light when healthy. When they are exposed to toxic substances, the amount of light emitted reduces. The greater the toxicity of the sample, the lower the light emitted. Measuring changes in light between healthy bacteria and bacteria exposed to toxic substances will therefore indicate the presence of a toxicant in a water sample.

Modern Water's Microtox M500 toxicity test system is the industry standard for laboratory-based rapid toxicity screening and analysis. It is a temperature-controlled, self-calibrating photometer that measures acute toxicity. Microtox M500 is used to monitor for either accidental or deliberate contamination of both water supplies and waste water.

DeltaTox II is the portable, acute toxicity analyser used with the Microtox technology. It is a simple, rapid, extremely responsive, portable water quality test system and, in addition to acute toxicity screening, it can also be used to monitor microbial contamination through adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing.

Later on this year Modern Water will also launch its new Microtox CTM which is a site-based, broad range Continuous Toxicity Monitor (CTM). It applies the principles of Microtox bioluminescent testing to real-time, online applications. Fully automated, it can operate onsite for up to 28 days without operator intervention or maintenance. For rapid toxicity testing choose Microtox – over 3,000 units sold worldwide.

32

Applied Science / Make Paper Obsolete

« on: February 04, 2014, 04:24:09 PM »

Imagine curling up on the couch with the morning paper and then using the same sheet of paper to read the latest novel by your favorite author. That's one possibility of electronic paper, a flexible display that looks very much like real paper but can be reused over and over. The display contains many tiny microcapsules filled with particles that carry electric charges bonded to a steel foil. Each microcapsule has white and black particles that are associated with either a positive or negative charge. Depending on which charge is applied; the black or white particles surface displaying different patterns. In the United States alone, more than 55 million newspapers are sold each weekday.

33

Latest Technology / KATE: A New Humanoid Robot from

« on: February 04, 2014, 03:53:53 PM »

As FutureBots Labs' solo roboticst, Dan Mathias has been toiling away for almost 10 years to develop humanoid robots (such as the ATOM-7XP humanoid) out of his lab.  Today Dan has a special announcement: FutureBot Labs has developed a new humanoid robot named KATE, the "Kids Avatar Teacher and Entertainer."  We're highlighting Dan's latest robot for three reasons:  First, FutureBots is trying to become a legit robotics business with real products for entertainment, education, research, and healthcare.  That's a tough nut to crack on a personal budget and as a solo engineer!  Hopefully a little exposure will help FutureBots find some much-needed assistance on a number of fronts.  Second, we are impressed with Dan's (solo!) engineering efforts over the years.  He's clearly a dedicated and capable roboticist.  Third, we've been unable to previously cover his robots' (seemingly-incremental) progress, so we're happy that KATE's unveiling gives us occasion to write about FutureBots Labs.

34

Life Science / Lighting PLants

« on: April 16, 2013, 04:20:15 PM »

A short time ago, a science fiction English Film “Aua Wire” released. This film not only provides extreme suspense to the numerous viewers. It not also provided great interest but also it gave a new way to the researchers and scientists. Actually in one scene of film lighted plants were shown which emitted light. By viewing this film an elegant idea came to agricultural scientists of Taiwan to grow such plants with latest and modern technology. This can not only use for internal beauty of the buildings and parks but also they can emit light to glow the surroundings. By this new invention flowers, greenery and light become a single unit. All around the world, by increasing the prices of fuel scientists are engaged to research on alternative sources of energy. At one side, big power plants have been installed to produce electric power from the sunlight and wind power. In the other hand some intelligent scientists of Taiwan are thinking how to produce light from plants to glow tube lights and fancy lights as they are hopeful.




In Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, Chief of the research center of applied sciences say that their experts selected a water plant named “Bacopa caroliniana” for light experiments. This plant is just like bushes present beneath the water. Its leaves are soft and pulpy. By rubbing these leaves lemon smell come out. The color of the flower is blue and has five petals. Due to the beauty of these flowers people often grow those in their aquariums as it has small lights that make these plants more beautiful and charming. The chief of the research centre argued that these tiny light particles are present in the leaves for two weeks to two months. During this time period the plant continuously produced light. One other scientist of the team, from Taiwan’s National Chung Kung University’s Department of Physics, says that the structure of tiny particles in the leaves plays a key role in the emission of light and meanwhile by giving them a special shape we can produce much more powerful light.

A Bio-organic Scientist, from Electro Communication University of Tokyo, says that experiments of nano-particles (tiny particles) on the living things nowadays is the most favorite and hot topic. It is possible in the future; this field may bring lots of good news and amazing innovation for the next generation.

At present, scientists have been searching cheap items to get bulk production as the items used in this project are expensive and not feasible for bulk production. They claimed if they find cheap alternatives, then Living Light products (we can say like LEDs) will begin easily and easily available in the market to be used for decorating as well as glowing light purpose.The Chief explained that his research team dips this plant in a solution which consists of gold particles. After couple of days these gold particles enter into the plant cells. Then the plant placed under ultra violet rays which produce electrons in the tiny particles present in the plant cells, by this chemical changes leaves of the plant have been emitted red light which is a great success in field of energy.

35

Applied Science / History of pen invention

« on: April 15, 2013, 03:58:14 PM »

Graphite is a form of carbon, first discovered in the Seathwaite Valley on the side of the mountain Seathwaite Fell in Borrowdale, near Keswick, England, about 1564 by an unknown person. Shortly after this the first pencils were made in the same area.

 The breakthrough in pencil technology came when French chemist Nicolas Conte developed and patented the process used to make pencils in 1795. He used a mixture of clay and graphite that was fired before it was put in a wooden case. The pencils he made were cylindrical with a slot. The square lead was glued into the slot and a thin strip of wood was used to fill the rest of the slot. Pencils got their name from the old English word meaning 'brush'. Conte's method of kiln firing powdered graphite and clay allowed pencils to be made to any hardness or softness - very important to artists and draftsmen.

Charles Marie de la Condamine, a French scientist and explorer, was the first European to bring back the natural substance called "India" rubber. He brought a sample to the Institute de France in Paris in 1736. South American Indian tribes used rubber to making bouncing playing balls and as an adhesive for attaching feathers and other objects to their bodies.

In 1770, the noted scientist Sir Joseph Priestley (discoverer of oxygen) recorded the following, "I have seen a substance excellently adapted to the purpose of wiping from paper the mark of black lead pencil." Europeans were rubbing out pencil marks with the small cubes of rubber, the substance that Condamine had brought to Europe from South America. They called their erasers "peaux de negres". However, rubber was not an easy substance to work with because it went bad very easily -- just like food, rubber would rot. English engineer, Edward Naime is also credited with the creation of the first eraser in 1770. Before rubber, breadcrumbs had been used to erase pencil marks. Naime claims he accidentally picked up a piece of rubber instead of his lump of bread and discovered the possibilities, he went on to sell the new rubbing out devices or rubbers.

In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered a way to cure rubber and make it a lasting and useable material. He called his process vulcanization, after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. In 1844, Goodyear patented his process. With the better rubber available, erasers became quite common.

The first patent for attaching an eraser to a pencil was issued in 1858 to a man from Philadelphia named Hyman Lipman. This patent was later held to be invalid because it was merely the combination of two things, without a new use.



At first penknives were used to sharpen pencils. They got their name from the fact that they were first used to shape feather quills used as early pens. In 1828, Bernard Lassimone, a French mathematician applied for a patent (French patent #2444) on an invention to sharpen pencils. However, it was not until 1847 that Therry des Estwaux first invented the manual pencil sharpener, as we know it.

John Lee Love of Fall River, MA designed the "Love Sharpener." Love's invention was the very simple, portable pencil sharpener that many artists use. The pencil is put into the opening of the sharpener and rotated by hand, and the shavings stay inside the sharpener. Love's sharpener was patented on November 23, 1897 (U.S. Patent # 594,114). Four years earlier, Love created and patented his first invention, the "Plasterer's Hawk." This device, which is still used today, is a flat square piece of board made of wood or metal, upon which plaster or mortar was placed and then spread by plasterers or masons. This was patented on July 9, 1895.

One source claims that the Hammacher Schlemmer Company of New York offered the world's first electric pencil sharpener designed by Raymond Loewy, sometime in the early 1940s. In 1861, Eberhard Faber built the first pencil factory in the United States in New York City.
 

36

Astronomy / Massive solar eruption could cause magnetic storm here on Earth

« on: April 15, 2013, 03:24:35 PM »

Early Thursday morning, solar observers watched as a dark spot on the sun erupted with an enormous flash of light, causing the biggest solar flare of 2013. Solar flares themselves don't last long, but this one was powerful enough to cause a bubble of solar material called a CME (coronal mass ejection) to come bursting off the sun. Up to billions of tons of that solar material is now hurtling through space at the mind-bending speed of more than 600 miles per second, and it is heading directly toward Earth.




While a mass of solar material zooming toward Earth sounds kind of frightening, there's not much to worry about. CMEs can occasionally affect the electronic systems of satellites or the power grid here on the ground, but our atmosphere will protect us from any harmful radiation associated with the initial flare or the CME. Plus, there's a major upside to these Earth-bound CMEs for sky watchers. When a CME interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere, it can cause geomagnetic storms and enhanced auroras that could be visible as far south as Michigan and New York.

37

Latest Technology / Artificial leaf

« on: April 15, 2013, 03:07:58 PM »

Harvard chemist Daniel Nocera recently developed the world’s first practical artificial leaf – a silicon-based device that could use sunlight to split water and create clean fuel. Now, the scientist says he’s improved the leaf – making it able to self-heal and to work even in dirty water.



The artificial leaf has been called a holy grail for decades, and scientists had been working on designing an efficient device that, like plants, can use sunlight to create energy. But where plants make sugars, scientists wanted to split water into clean-burning fuel. Such a device could radically revolutionize clean energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and providing an even better solution than plain old solar cells, which are perfect for sunny days but don’t store energy for nighttime use.

38

Latest Technology / Interactive whiteboard

« on: April 07, 2013, 04:08:28 PM »

An interactive whiteboard (IWB), is a large interactive display that connects to a computer. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or floor stand.They are used in a variety of settings, including classrooms at all levels of education, in corporate board rooms and work groups, in training rooms for professional sports coaching, in broadcasting studios and others.



The interactive whiteboard industry was expected to reach sales of US$1 billion worldwide by 2008; one of every seven classrooms in the world was expected to feature an interactive whiteboard by 2011 according to market research by Futuresource Consulting. In 2004, 26% of British primary classrooms had interactive whiteboards. The Becta Harnessing Technology Schools Survey 2007 indicated that 98% of secondary and 100% of primary schools had IWBs. By 2008 the average numbers of interactive whiteboards rose in both primary schools (18 compared with just over six in 2005, and eight in the 2007 survey) and secondary schools (38, compared with 18 in 2005 and 22 in 2007).
 
Uses for interactive whiteboards may include:
 Running software that is loaded onto the connected PC, such as a web browsers or other software used in the classroom.
 Capturing and saving notes written on a whiteboard to the connected PC
 Capturing notes written on a graphics tablet connected to the whiteboard
 Controlling the PC from the white board using click and drag, markup which annotates a program or presentation
 Using OCR software to translate cursive writing on a graphics tablet into text
 Using an Audience Response System so that presenters can poll a classroom audience or conduct quizzes, capturing feedback onto the whiteboard

39

Geography / Discovery of 1,800-year-old 'Rosetta Stone' for tropical ice cores

« on: April 07, 2013, 03:03:47 PM »

Two annually dated ice cores drawn from the tropical Peruvian Andes reveal Earth's tropical climate history in unprecedented detail -- year by year, for nearly 1,800 years. Researchers at The Ohio State University retrieved the cores from a Peruvian ice cap in 2003, and then noticed some startling similarities to other ice cores that they had retrieved from Tibet and the Himalayas. Patterns in the chemical composition of certain layers matched up, even though the cores were taken from opposite sides of the planet.
In the April 4, 2013 online edition of the journal Science Express, they describe the find, which they call the first annually resolved "Rosetta Stone" with which to compare other climate histories from Earth's tropical and subtropical regions over the last two millennia. The cores provide a new tool for researchers to study Earth's past climate, and better understand the climate changes that are happening today."These ice cores provide the longest and highest-resolution tropical ice core record to date," said Lonnie Thompson, distinguished university professor of earth sciences at Ohio State and lead author of the study."In fact, having drilled ice cores throughout the tropics for more than 30 years, we now know that this is the highest-resolution tropical ice core record that is likely to be retrieved."
The cores will provide a permanent record for future use by climate scientists, Thompson added. This is very important, as plants captured by the advancing ice cap 6,000 years ago are now emerging along its retreating margins, which shows that Quelccaya is now smaller than it has been in six thousand years.
 
 

40

Applied Science / Breakthrough in chemical crystallography

« on: April 07, 2013, 02:45:45 PM »

A research team led by Professor Makoto Fujita of the University of Tokyo, Japan, and complemented by Academy Professor Kari Rissanen of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, has made a fundamental breakthrough in single-crystal X-ray analysis, the most powerful method for molecular structure determination. X-ray single-crystal diffraction (SCD) analysis has the intrinsic limitation that the target molecule must be obtained as single crystals. Now, Professor Fujita's team at the University of Tokyo together with Academy Professor Rissanen at the University of Jyväskylä have established a new protocol for SCD analysis that does not require the crystallisation of the target molecule. In this method, a very small crystal of a porous complex absorbs the target molecule from the solution, enabling the crystallographic analysis of the structure of the absorbed guest along with the host framework.
 
As the SCD analysis is carried out with only one crystal, smaller than 0.1 x 0.1 x 0.1 mm in size, the required amount of the target molecule can be as low as 80 ng. Fujita's and Rissanen's work reports the structure determination of a scarce marine natural product from only 5 µg of it. Many natural and synthetic compounds for which chemists have almost given up the hope of analysing crystallographically can now be easily and precisely characterised by this method.

41

Life Science / Reducing Salt and Increasing Potassium Will Have Major Global Health Benefits

« on: April 07, 2013, 02:33:16 PM »

Such a strategy will save millions of lives every year from heart disease and stroke. Much evidence shows that reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure and thereby reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease. Less is known about the potential benefits of increasing potassium intake, but lower potassium consumption has been linked with elevated blood pressure.
The World Health Organisation has therefore set a global goal to reduce dietary salt intake to 5-6 g (about one teaspoon) per person per day by 2025, yet salt intake in many countries is currently much higher than this. The first study examined the effects of modest salt reduction on blood pressure, hormones, and blood fats (lipids) from 34 trials involving over 3,000 adults.
It found a modest reduction in salt for four or more weeks led to significant falls in blood pressure in people with both raised and normal blood pressure. However, the researchers believe current recommendations "are not ideal" and say a further reduction to 3 g per day "should become the long term target for population salt intake."
Lower sodium intake was also associated with reduced risk of stroke and fatal coronary heart disease in adults. "The totality of evidence suggests that reducing sodium intake should be part of public health efforts to reduce blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, and will likely benefit most individuals," 
The results show that increased potassium intake reduces blood pressure in adults, with no adverse effects on blood lipids, hormone levels or kidney function. Higher potassium intake was linked with a 24% lower risk of stroke in adults and may also have a beneficial effect on blood pressure in children, but more data is needed.
The World Health Organisation therefore recommends to reduce dietary salt intake to less than 5 g (about one teaspoon) per person per day and set a global goal of a 30% relative reduction in mean adult population intake of salt by 2025, with the aim of achieving the WHO's salt intake recommendation, yet salt intake in many countries is currently much higher than this.

42

Applied Science / Quantum Computers Using Microwave Technology

« on: April 03, 2013, 05:24:40 PM »

Scientist has got success in linking the quantum properties of two separated ions using microwaves to manipulate them. This is currently done with the help of laser beams and now this advancement can shrink the size of quantum computers. This research has been done at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) which has been published in Nature. Microwaves have been used previously in manipulating single ions, but this is the first time when scientist from NIST used this on two separated ions places just 30 micrometers away. This kind of process give rise to a quantum mechanism which is crucial for information transportation and error correction in Quantum computers.

 

The mentioned experiment use desktop scale table of lasers and very small mirrors and lenses that are around 1/10 th of the sizes that are actually used these days. Microwave components can be easily expanded to make a practical quantum computer system. Also by using microwaves they were able to reduce errors that are however caused by using laser beams due to incorrect pointing issues and power.Scientist Dietrich Leibfried said that it may be possible to have a quantum computer of a size of smart phone in near future. More powerful quantum computer can be made up to a size of Desktop PC.

43

Latest Technology / Hyundai E4U

« on: April 03, 2013, 11:59:26 AM »

As the human population grows and cities and suburbs become more densely populated, and public transportation travels on a steady path of not being tailored to your schedule, society needs to find a better way to get around. With the E4U personal transport, Hyundai is looking to remove our need for cars, but get us around more efficiently than bicycles.

The eggmobile can maneuver in any direction even though its motor only moves in one. What makes this possible is, rather than a traditional tire, the E4U uses a semisphere that can rotate in all directions; it’s riding around on a ball. When the top of the semisphere is touching and vertically aligned to the ground, the vehicle moves by rotating the semisphere horizontally. Since the vehicle sits atop and is able to move due to what is a multidirectional ball, the two training wheels prevent the E4U from spinning uncontrollably. In order to move the vehicle in any direction without hindrance from the training wheels, the E4U simply tilts in a direction, lifting the wheels up off the floor. If that sounds complex, it works similarly to the way a helicopter works. Imagine the semisphere as the blades, and the training wheels as the tail rotor.

44

Astronomy / origin of cosmic rays

« on: February 22, 2013, 12:21:13 AM »

The study of data collected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has revealed that cosmic rays, some of the fastest traveling particles in the universe, are produced by supernovae. A separate study by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has made similar findings, largely corroborating the Fermi results.
Cosmic rays are subatomic particles, made up of around ninety percent protons, that move through space at close to the speed of light. Magnetic fields deflect and distort the path of the particles, making it near impossible to determine their point of origin. However, the presence of cosmic rays can, under certain circumstances, lead to the emission of gamma rays, a form of light that travels to us directly from its source.
NASA's Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has been observing these gamma rays since its launch in 2008, focusing on two supernova remnants known as IC443 and W44. Both of these are expanding into clouds of interstellar dust which emit gamma-rays when hit by high-speed particles from the supernova remnants.

After analyzing four years' worth of data, the team has managed to identify a feature in the gamma rays of both IC443 and W44, which is claimed to constitute conclusive proof that supernova remnants accelerate cosmic rays. The scientists identified the presence of particles known as neutral pions, which are created in collisions between cosmic rays and normal protons. These neutral pions break down into pairs of gamma rays and exhibit specific and identifiable characteristics.

Stefan Funk of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University said that "the discovery is the smoking gun that these two supernova remnants are producing accelerated protons."

n ESO study, released simultaneously to the Fermi findings, largely corroborated the discovery. The ESO team used its Very Large Telescope (VLT) to observe a supernova site known as SN 1006, focusing on the “shock front” where high-speed materials ejected by the supernova interact with stationary interstellar matter.

While the team was unable to confirm the existence of cosmic rays, a number of “seed particles” were identified. These particles go on to interact with other materials, eventually reaching the extremely high energy levels associated with cosmic rays.

45

Body Fitness / The Benefits of Exercising Outdoors

« on: February 21, 2013, 11:48:57 PM »

While the allure of the gym — climate-controlled, convenient and predictable — is obvious, especially in winter, emerging science suggests there are benefits to exercising outdoors that can’t be replicated on a treadmill, a recumbent bicycle or a track.

You stride differently when running outdoors, for one thing. Generally, studies find, people flex their ankles more when they run outside. They also, at least occasionally, run downhill, a movement that isn’t easily done on a treadmill and that stresses muscles differently than running on flat or uphill terrain. Outdoor exercise tends, too, to be more strenuous than the indoor version. In studies comparing the exertion of running on a treadmill and the exertion of running outside, treadmill runners expended less energy to cover the same distance as those striding across the ground outside, primarily because indoor exercisers face no wind resistance or changes in terrain, no matter how subtle.

The same dynamic has been shown to apply to cycling, where wind drag can result in much greater energy demands during 25 miles of outdoor cycling than the same distance on a stationary bike. That means if you have limited time and want to burn as many calories as possible, you should hit the road instead of the gym.

But there seem to be other, more ineffable advantages to getting outside to work out. In a number of recent studies, volunteers have been asked to go for two walks for the same time or distance — one inside, usually on a treadmill or around a track, the other outdoors. In virtually all of the studies, the volunteers reported enjoying the outside activity more and, on subsequent psychological tests, scored significantly higher on measures of vitality, enthusiasm, pleasure and self-esteem and lower on tension, depression and fatigue after they walked outside.

Of course, those studies were small-scale, short-term — only two walks — and squishy in their scientific parameters, relying heavily on subjective responses. But a study last year of older adults found, objectively, that those who exercised outside exercised longer and more often than those working out indoors. Specifically, the researchers asked men and women 66 or older about their exercise habits and then fitted them all with electronic gadgets that measured their activity levels for a week. The gadgets and the survey showed that the volunteers who exercised outside, usually by walking, were significantly more physically active than those who exercised indoors, completing, on average, about 30 minutes more exercise each week than those who walked or otherwise exercised indoors.

Studies haven’t yet established why, physiologically, exercising outside might improve dispositions or inspire greater commitment to an exercise program. A few small studies have found that people have lower blood levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress, after exerting themselves outside as compared with inside. There’s speculation, too, that exposure to direct sunlight, known to affect mood, plays a role.

But the take-away seems to be that moving their routines outside could help reluctant or inconsistent exercisers. “If outdoor activity encourages more activity, then it is a good thing,” says Jacqueline Kerr, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, who led the study of older adults. After all, “despite the fitness industry boom,” she continues, “we are not seeing changes in national physical activity levels, so gyms are not the answer.”