Microelectronic chips used to take pressure readings are very delicate. A new technology has been developed that makes pressure sensors more robust, enabling them to continue operating normally at temperatures up to 250 degrees Celsius.
The drill bit gradually burrows deeper into the earth, working its way through the rock. Meanwhile, dozens of sensors are busily engaged in tasks such as taking pressure readings and evaluating porosity. The conditions they face are extreme, with the sensors being required to withstand high temperatures and pressures as well as shocks and vibrations. The sensors send the data to the surface to help geologists with work such as searching for oil deposits. Continue Reading »
Since the time of the earliest humans, people have attempted to understand the natural environment. We have observed our surroundings and searched for explanations for natural phenomena. Yet despite our persistence over thousands of years, many basic questions remain to be answered. Although we understand core processes such as photosynthesis, we do not have a full understanding of issues such as how plants maximize their photosynthetic capacity. Continue Reading »
A new study co-written by a University of Illinois expert in math education suggests that incorporating technology in high school-level geometry classes not only makes the teaching of concepts such as congruency easier, it also empowers students to discover other geometric relationships they wouldn’t ordinarily uncover when more traditional methods of instruction were used.
loriana González, a professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education at Illinois, says when students used dynamic geometry software they were more successful in discovering new mathematical ideas than when they used static, paper-based diagrams. Continue Reading »
Igor Berezhnoy of Tilburg University in the Netherlands has developed computer algorithms to support art historians and other art experts in their visual assessment of paintings. His digital technology is capable of distinguishing a forgery from an authentic Van Gogh based on the painter’s characteristic brush work and use of colour. Continue Reading »
Why some scientists choose a given citation and not others to include in the references of their scientific writings is an issue which is not completely resolved, according to what could be determined in a study carried out by María del Mar Camacho Miñano and Manuel Núñez Níckel, of the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and the UC3M, respectively, published in the Journal of the American Society for Information, Science and Technology.
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The field of quantum information processing has come a long way in the past five years, partly thanks to a £10 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which has helped focus activity in this potentially lucrative field.
As the grant’s lifespan comes to an end, leading representatives from academia, government and business gathered at the Institute of Physics on December 10 to highlight the most recent advances and discuss what is now needed to make the most of the opportunities that quantum information processing gives the UK. Continue Reading »
A 270-kilometre optical fiber has been transformed into the world’s longest laser, a feat its inventors believe will lead to a radical new outlook on information transmission and secure communications.
Engineering academics at Aston University, UK, are leading research into ultralong fiber lasers, to create a platform capable of delivering ‘next generation’ information transmission, including telecommunications and broadband. Continue Reading »
University of Toronto quantum optics researchers Sajeev John and Xun Ma have discovered new behaviours of light within photonic crystals that could lead to faster optical information processing and compact computers that don’t overheat.
“We discovered that by sculpting a unique artificial vacuum inside a photonic crystal, we can completely control the electronic state of artificial atoms within the vacuum,” says Ma, a PhD student under John’s supervision and lead author of a study published in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters. “This discovery can enable photonic computers that are more than a hundred times faster than their electronic counterparts, without heat dissipation issues and other bottlenecks currently faced by electronic computing.” Continue Reading »
Nevada professor discovers new way to calculate body’s “Maximum Weight Limit” RENO, Nev. – Most of us are familiar with the term, Body Mass Index, or BMI, as an index to determine healthy body weight. But, calculating BMI involves a complex formula: weight in pounds is multiplied by 703, and then divided by height in inches squared. Charts or online calculators are then used to show a “healthy weight range” given an individual’s height that corresponds to the “healthy range BMI.” For example, a BMI chart indicates that a healthy range BMI of 19 to 24 translates to a “healthy weight range” of 120 to 150 pounds for a 5-foot, 6-inch individual. Continue Reading »
Mayo Clinic researchers say that “teachable software” designed to mimic the human brain may help them diagnose cardiac infections without an invasive exam. Those findings are being presented today at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco.
Endocarditis — an infection involving the valves and sometimes chambers of the heart — can be a problem in patients with implanted medical devices. It is serious and can be deadly. The mortality rate can be as high as one in five, even with aggressive treatment and removal of the device. Continue Reading »
