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Thursday, November 14, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Study uses neutron scattering, supercomputing to demystify forces at play in biofuel production

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 12:25 PM PST

Researchers studying more effective ways to convert woody plant matter into biofuels have identified fundamental forces that change plant structures during pretreatment processes used in the production of bioenergy.

Stingray movement could inspire the next generation of submarines

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 12:25 PM PST

Stingrays swim through water with such ease that researchers are studying how their movements could be used to design more agile and fuel-efficient unmanned underwater vehicles.

Fantastic phonons: Blocking sound, channeling heat with 'unprecedented precision'

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 11:32 AM PST

The phonon, like the photon or electron, is a physical particle that travels like waves, representing mechanical vibration. Phonons transmit everyday sound and heat. Recent progress in phononics has led to the development of new ideas and devices that are using phononic properties to control sound and heat, according to a new review.

Astronomers reveal contents of mysterious black hole jets

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 10:22 AM PST

An international team of astronomers has answered a long-standing question about the enigmatic jets emitted by black holes. Jets are narrow beams of matter spat out at high speed from near a central object, like a black hole. Although they have been observed for decades, astronomers are still not sure what they are made of, or what powers them.

Improving detection of radioactive material in nuclear waste water

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 10:01 AM PST

As the Fukushima crisis continues to remind the world of the potential dangers of nuclear disposal and unforeseen accidents, scientists are reporting progress toward a new way to detect the radioactive materials uranium and plutonium in waste water.

Squeeze and you shall measure: Squeezed coherent states shown to be optimal for gravitational wave

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST

Extremely precise measurements of distances are key in all techniques used to detect gravitational waves. To increase this precision, physicists have started using quantum effects linked with photons. Physicists now show that it is not necessary to use quantum light states more refined than the squeezed coherent states available currently.

New way to dissolve semiconductors holds promise for electronics industry

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:58 AM PST

Semiconductors, the foundation of modern electronics used in flat-screen TVs and fighter jets, could become even more versatile as researchers make headway on a novel, inexpensive way to turn them into thin films. The new report is on a new liquid that can quickly dissolve nine types of key semiconductors.

Building a better tokamak by blowing giant plasma bubbles: How magnetic reconnection -- the force behind solar flares -- could initiate fusion in a tokamak reactor

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:58 AM PST

New simulations shed light on the mechanisms at work in magnetic bubbles inside tokomak fusion machines, clarifying what happens at various stages in the ultrafast phenomenon.

Better batteries through biology? Modified viruses boost battery performance

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:58 AM PST

Researchers find a way to boost lithium-air battery performance, with the help of modified viruses.

Using airport screening technology to visualize waves in fusion plasma

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:25 AM PST

A new, quasi-optical radar technique images millimeter-wave radiation reflected from fusion plasmas in 2D, time-resolved images. This novel application lets researchers image waves in fusion plasmas in startling detail, and provides vital information to devise strategies to avoid instabilities which can reduce fusion power output.

Speedy analysis of steel fiber reinforced concrete

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:02 AM PST

Steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) is a practical construction material that is quick and easy to use. But monitoring SFRC quality is difficult, and this has kept industry acceptance low. A new method offers a quick way to examine its composition.

Solar cells utilize thermal radiation

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:01 AM PST

Thermal radiation from the sun is largely lost on most silicon solar cells. Up-converters transform the infrared radiation into usable light, however. Researchers have now for the first time successfully adapted this effect for use in generating power.

Young stars paint spectacular stellar landscape

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:01 AM PST

Most stars do not form alone, but with many siblings that are created at about the same time from a single cloud of gas and dust. NGC 3572, in the southern constellation of Carina (The Keel), is one of these clusters. It contains many hot young blue-white stars that shine brightly and generate powerful stellar winds that tend to gradually disperse the remaining gas and dust from their surroundings. The glowing gas clouds and accompanying cluster of stars are the subjects of a new picture from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile.

Riding an electron wave into the future of microchip fabrication

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 05:08 PM PST

Advanced plasma-based etching is a key enabler of Moore's Law that observes that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles nearly every two years. It is the plasma's ability to reproduce fine patterns on silicon that makes this scaling possible and has made plasma sources ubiquitous in microchip manufacturing.

Structure of bacterial nanowire protein hints at secrets of conduction

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 05:04 PM PST

Tiny electrical wires protrude from some bacteria and contribute to rock and dirt formation. Researchers studying the protein that makes up one such wire have determined the protein's structure. The finding is important to such diverse fields as producing energy, recycling Earth's carbon and miniaturizing computers.

Animal, human health benefits anticipated from new biomedical instrument

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 09:36 AM PST

A biomedical instrument that can heat specific cells in the body while simultaneously producing real-time, high-resolution images of the heat's effects on tumors and inflamed cells is anticipated to help with animal, human health.

Building block for exoskeleton could lead to more independence among elderly

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 07:50 AM PST

Researchers are studying human movement as they work on creating an exoskeleton to benefit elderly patients, stroke patients and paraplegics.

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