ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Heating safety from mri radiofrequency energy demonstrated in variety of simulated spinal cord stimulation scenarios
• Colored diamonds are a superconductor's best friend
• Plasma plumes help shield Earth from damaging solar storms
• Crystals ripple in response to light: First propagating surface phonon polaritons in a van der Waals crystal
• Future electronics with super-efficient hard drives: Electricity controls magnetism
• Biofuel-to-hydrocarbon conversion technology licensed
• Icy wreckage discovered in nearby planetary system
• 'Current test' for water pollution
• Combatting hospital-acquired infections with protein metal complex
• Smart nanofibers to treat kidney failure
• Recent advances in the controlled synthesis and functional applications of luminescent metal nanoclusters
• Are you smarter than a 5-year-old? Preschoolers can do algebra
• Storing extra rocket fuel in space for future missions?
• Complications following surgery predict costly readmissions
• Computers used to 'see' neurons to better understand brain function
• Hubble witnesses an asteroid mysteriously disintegrating
• Engineering team increases power efficiency for future computer processors
• Classroom focus on social, emotional skills can lead to academic gains, study shows
• IT security for the daily life: Withdrawing money at cash machines with 'Google Glass'
• Computational tool offers new insight into key biological processes
• Going nuclear -- in a small way
• Collecting digital user data without invading privacy
• Robotic prosthesis turns drummer into a three-armed cyborg
• Extraordinary momentum and spin discovered in evanescent light waves
• Three out of every four European banks fails in handicap accessibility of their websites
• Catalog of massive stars: Only one on two million qualify
• New research could help make 'roll-up' digital screens a reality for all
• Shadows of Petra awaken its astronomical orientation
• Smart grid for electric vehicle fleet
• Security tools for Industry 4.0

Heating safety from mri radiofrequency energy demonstrated in variety of simulated spinal cord stimulation scenarios Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:10 PM PST Determining MRI RF heating safety is a complex process that requires complete understanding of the potential interactions between the MRI system, lead behavior, and individual patient characteristics. A comprehensive analysis was performed to evaluate a new MR-compatible SCS lead.

Colored diamonds are a superconductor's best friend Posted: 06 Mar 2014 12:24 PM PST Nitrogen-vacancy centers -- flaws in a diamond's crystal lattice that produce color -- have received much attention for their sensitivity to magnetic fields. Researchers have now used N-V diamond sensors to detect the tiny magnetic fluctuations that occur on the surface of high-temperature superconductors in hopes of discovering how these much ballyhooed but still mysterious materials work. With their chip sensor, they hope to measure the properties of a single magnetic vortex.

Plasma plumes help shield Earth from damaging solar storms Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:27 AM PST Scientists have identified a plasma plume that naturally protects the Earth against solar storms. Earth's magnetic field, or magnetosphere, stretches from the planet's core out into space, where it meets the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun. For the most part, the magnetosphere acts as a shield to protect Earth from this high-energy solar activity. But when this field comes into contact with the sun's magnetic field -- a process called "magnetic reconnection" -- powerful electrical currents from the sun can stream into Earth's atmosphere, whipping up geomagnetic storms and space weather phenomena that can affect high-altitude aircraft, as well as astronauts on the International Space Station. Now scientists have identified a process in Earth's magnetosphere that reinforces its shielding effect, keeping incoming solar energy at bay.

Crystals ripple in response to light: First propagating surface phonon polaritons in a van der Waals crystal Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:27 AM PST Minuscule waves that propagate across atom -- thin layers of crystal could carry information, light, and heat in nanoscale devices. For the first time, the frequency and amplitude of these waves, called surface phonon polaritons, can be tuned by altering the number of layers of crystals, and they travel far making practical applications for these signals feasible.

Future electronics with super-efficient hard drives: Electricity controls magnetism Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:27 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated how a magnetic structure can be altered quickly in novel materials. The effect could be used in efficient hard drives of the future. Data on a hard drive is stored by flipping small magnetic domains. Researchers have now changed the magnetic arrangement in a material much faster than is possible with today's hard drives. The researchers used a new technique where an electric field triggers these changes, in contrast to the magnetic fields commonly used in consumer devices. This method uses a new kind of material where the magnetic and electric properties are coupled. Applied in future devices, this kind of strong interaction between magnetic and electric properties can have numerous advantages.

Biofuel-to-hydrocarbon conversion technology licensed Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:25 AM PST Vertimass LLC has licensed an ORNL technology that directly converts ethanol into a hydrocarbon blend-stock for use in transportation fuels. The technology offers a new pathway to biomass-derived renewable fuels that can lower greenhouse gas emissions and decrease U.S. reliance on foreign sources of oil.

Icy wreckage discovered in nearby planetary system Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:25 AM PST Astronomers have discovered the splattered remains of comets colliding together around a nearby star. The researchers believe they are witnessing the total destruction of one of these icy bodies once every five minutes.

'Current test' for water pollution Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:28 AM PST A simple electrical conductivity could be enough to measure water pollution in tropical rivers instead of the complex tests currently used, according to a new article.

Combatting hospital-acquired infections with protein metal complex Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:28 AM PST A protein containing a metal complex for blue paint inhibits growth of a pathogenic bacterium through iron deprivation. Scientists have found a new method using an artificial metalloprotein (a protein that contains a metal) to inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which is a common bacterium that can cause diseases in humans and evolves to exhibit multiple antibiotic resistance.

Smart nanofibers to treat kidney failure Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:28 AM PST A simple way to treat kidney failure. A new technique for purifying blood using a nanofiber mesh could prove useful as a cheap, wearable alternative to kidney dialysis.

Recent advances in the controlled synthesis and functional applications of luminescent metal nanoclusters Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:28 AM PST Researchers have summarized recent advances in the controlled synthesis and application of luminescent metal nanoclusters, including potential uses in sensors, bioimaging, and energy harvesting and conversion.

Are you smarter than a 5-year-old? Preschoolers can do algebra Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PST Millions of high school and college algebra students are united in a shared agony over solving for x and y, and for those to whom the answers don't come easily, it gets worse: Most preschoolers and kindergarteners can do some algebra before even entering a math class. A new study finds that most preschoolers and kindergarteners, or children between 4 and 6, can do basic algebra naturally.

Storing extra rocket fuel in space for future missions? Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:23 AM PST Future lunar missions may be fueled by gas stations in space, according to engineers: A spacecraft might dock at a propellant depot, somewhere between the Earth and the moon, and pick up extra rocket fuel before making its way to the lunar surface. Orbiting way stations could reduce the fuel a spacecraft needs to carry from Earth -- and with less fuel onboard, a rocket could launch heavier payloads, such as large scientific experiments.

Complications following surgery predict costly readmissions Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:23 AM PST The presence -- or absence -- of complications following surgery is a strong indicator of which patients are likely to be readmitted to the hospital in the 30 days following their procedure. Predicting which patients are most likely to experience complications using a simple online tool may allow healthcare professionals to flag patients at high risk of readmission in real time and alter care to reduce expensive trips back to the hospital.

Computers used to 'see' neurons to better understand brain function Posted: 06 Mar 2014 08:22 AM PST A study reveals new information about the motor circuits of the brain that may one day help those developing therapies to treat conditions such as stroke, schizophrenia, spinal cord injury or Alzheimer's disease. In this study, which processed images and reconstructed neuronal motor circuitry in the brain, the researchers collected and analyzed data on minute structures over various developmental stages, linking neuroscience and computer science.

Hubble witnesses an asteroid mysteriously disintegrating Posted: 06 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PST The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has photographed the never-before-seen break-up of an asteroid, which has fragmented into as many as ten smaller pieces. Although fragile comet nuclei have been seen to fall apart as they approach the Sun, nothing like the breakup of this asteroid, P/2013 R3, has ever been observed before in the asteroid belt.

Engineering team increases power efficiency for future computer processors Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PST Scientists have made major improvements in computer processing using an emerging class of magnetic materials called 'multiferroics,' and these advances could make future devices far more energy-efficient than current technologies.

Classroom focus on social, emotional skills can lead to academic gains, study shows Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PST Classroom programs designed to improve elementary school students' social and emotional skills can also increase reading and math achievement, even if academic improvement is not a direct goal of the skills building, according to a study. The benefit holds true for students across a range of socio-economic backgrounds.

IT security for the daily life: Withdrawing money at cash machines with 'Google Glass' Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:54 AM PST Mini-computers with head-mounted display like 'Google Glass' don't just alarm privacy activists. Rather, they also enable applications increasing data protection. Computer scientists demonstrate this by combining Google Glass with cryptography methods and novel techniques of image processing to withdraw money at cash machines or to read encrypted documents.

Computational tool offers new insight into key biological processes Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:54 AM PST Researchers have developed a computational tool designed to guide future research on biochemical pathways by identifying which components in a biological system are related to specific biochemical processes, including those processes responsible for gene expression, cell signaling, stress response, and metabolism.

Going nuclear -- in a small way Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:52 AM PST New research has provided a comprehensive overview of new small-scale nuclear reactors, which could be suitable candidates to cope with the world's ever growing demand for energy. According to official estimates world energy consumption in 2035 will be more than double that of 1995. A substantial challenge for engineers and scientists over the coming decades is to develop and deploy power plants with sufficient capacity and flexibility to meet this increasing need while simultaneously reducing emissions. The new article aims to show to what extent a new type of nuclear reactor, termed the 'Small Modular Reactor' (SMR), might provide a solution to fulfil these energy needs.

Collecting digital user data without invading privacy Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:52 AM PST The statistical evaluation of digital user data is of vital importance for analyzing trends. But it can also undermine the privacy. Computer scientists have now developed a novel cryptographic method that makes it possible to collect data and protect the privacy of the user at the same time.

Robotic prosthesis turns drummer into a three-armed cyborg Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PST Scientists have created a robotic drumming prosthesis with motors that power two drumsticks. The first stick is controlled both physically by the musicians' arms and electronically using electromyography (EMG) muscle sensors. The other stick "listens" to the music being played and improvises.

Extraordinary momentum and spin discovered in evanescent light waves Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:37 AM PST Researchers have identified unexpected dynamic properties of a type of light wave called evanescent waves. These surprising findings contrast sharply with previous knowledge about light and photons.

Three out of every four European banks fails in handicap accessibility of their websites Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:37 AM PST Researchers have analyzed the websites of nearly 50 banks from the EU to check whether any user, even if disabled, has equal access. The results show that this right is not fulfilled in 74 percent of cases, and therefore they demand greater interest from financial entities in this technological and social problem.

Catalog of massive stars: Only one on two million qualify Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:36 AM PST Only one in two million stars in our galactic environment is of type O, a category that includes stars with anywhere between sixteen and more than one hundred solar masses, and luminosities millions of times greater than that of the sun. Such stars end their lives in supernovae and have a decisive influence on the structure and evolution of galaxies.

New research could help make 'roll-up' digital screens a reality for all Posted: 06 Mar 2014 06:36 AM PST New technology could make flexible electronics such as roll-up tablet computers, widely available in the near future. So far, this area of electronic design has been hampered by unreliability and complexity of production.

Shadows of Petra awaken its astronomical orientation Posted: 05 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PST During the winter solstice, the sun is filtered into the Monastery at Petra, Jordan, illuminating the podium of a deity. Just at this moment, the silhouette of the mountain opposite draws the head of a lion, a sacred animal. These are examples from a study where researchers showed how celestial events influenced the orientation of the great constructions of the Nabataeans.

Smart grid for electric vehicle fleet Posted: 05 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PST Being able to charge up to 30 electric cars at once requires some ingenious energy management. Researchers are incorporating a mix of renewables into the design of a smart grid for Germany's largest charging station.

Security tools for Industry 4.0 Posted: 05 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PST An increasing number of unsecured, computer-guided production machinery and networks in production facilities are gradually evolving into gateways for data theft. New security technologies may directly shield the sensitive data that is kept there.

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