Tech | Page 1741 | Science Codex

Innovative line body panels for car assembly

At one of its installations in the Bizkaia Technology Park, TECNALIA Technology Corporation has inaugurated an innovative prototype for vehicle body panels, within the remit of the European PROFORM research Project.

The aim of this research initiative is to develop a new concept of manufacture of body parts for the car, based on variable profiling together with forming operations, laser cutting and electromagnetic forming (non-continuous localised details along the length of the part), reducing time and cost of manufacture.

Small mechanical forces have big impact on embryonic stem cells

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Applying a small mechanical force to embryonic stem cells could be a new way of coaxing them into a specific direction of differentiation, researchers at the University of Illinois report. Applications for force-directed cell differentiation include therapeutic cloning and regenerative medicine.

U of C chemists discover recipe to design a better type of fuel cell

Fuel cells are often touted as one method to help decrease society's addiction to fossil fuels. But there is still a lot of work to be done before fuel cells will be ready for mass market to be used in transportation, home heating and portable power for emergencies.

Lupus patients perceive benefit from cardiovascular disease prevention counseling program

According to a new study by Hospital for Special Surgery investigators presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting on October 21 in Philadelphia, most lupus patients are not aware that their condition puts them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and a counseling program is a valuable way to promote education and lifestyle change.

Baja California residents watching for Hurricane Rick

Based on computer forecast models, the residents of southern and central Baja California should prepare over the weekend for now Tropical Storm Rick. Rick formed late yesterday, October 15, and is expected to become a major hurricane over the weekend. NASA satellite imagery captured the storm this morning as a strong tropical storm off the western Mexican coast. NASA infrared satellite imagery suggests an eyewall forming indicating the storm is powering up.

Mayo Clinic clinicians develop new decision aid tool to help type 2 diabetes patients

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic clinicians and designers, along with colleagues from other institutions, have developed and tested a tool to involve patients more in their diabetes treatment and medication choices. The tool, a set of decision aid cards, could help patients make decisions involving their disease and perhaps lead to better outcomes. The results of this randomized trial are in September's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine (http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/169/17/1560).

Tiny test tube experiment shows reaction of melting materials at the nano scale

AUSTIN, Texas–Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have conducted a basic chemistry experiment in what is perhaps the world's smallest test tube, measuring a thousandth the diameter of a human hair.

The nano-scale test tube is so small that a high-power electron microscope was required to see the experiment.

Made from a thin shell of carbon, the test tube was stuffed with a thread-like crystal (a nanowire) of germanium with a tiny particle of gold at its tip.

Quantum computer chips now 1 step closer to reality

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the quest for smaller, faster computer chips, researchers are increasingly turning to quantum mechanics -- the exotic physics of the small.

The problem: the manufacturing techniques required to make quantum devices have been equally exotic.

That is, until now.

Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered a way to make quantum devices using technology common to the chip-making industry today.

Is the person next to you washing their hands with soap?

People are more likely to wash their hands when they have been shamed into it, according to a study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, looked at responses to electronic hygiene messages displayed in UK service station toilets.

Institute for Aging Research study says dementia is a terminal illness

(Boston)—The clinical course of advanced dementia, including uncomfortable symptoms such as pain and high mortality, is similar to that experienced by patients of other terminal conditions, according to scientists at the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Calculate benefit before dialysis for frail elders

BOSTON – Kidney specialists should weigh the potential quality of life for frail elders with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in opting for dialysis over more conservative therapies, a nephrologist and a palliative care specialist suggest in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.

MRI abundance may lead to excess in back surgeries, Stanford study shows

STANFORD, Calif. — Patients reporting new low-back pain are more likely to undergo surgery if treated in an area with a higher-than-average concentration of magnetic resonance imaging machines, according to research from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

This may be bad news for patients, since previous studies have found that increased surgery rates don't improve patient outcomes. "The worry is that many people will not benefit from the surgery, so heading in this direction is concerning," said senior author Laurence Baker, PhD, professor of health research and policy.

NJIT baseball guru says Yankees, Dodgers should make World Series

With the League Championship Series set to begin tomorrow, NJIT Mathematics Professor Bruce Bukiet has, once again, analyzed the probability of each team winning their post-season series. Bukiet updates his calculations daily during the Major League Baseball post-season.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers have a 63 percent chance of defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in the best of seven National League Championship Series," he said. "The Yankees have an even stronger 68 percent chance of winning the American League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Angels."

Rutgers physicists discover novel electronic properties in two-dimensional carbon structure

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Rutgers researchers have discovered novel electronic properties in two-dimensional sheets of carbon atoms called graphene that could one day be the heart of speedy and powerful electronic devices.

Arctic land and seas account for up to 25 percent of world's carbon sink

In a new study in the journal Ecological Monographs, ecologists estimate that Arctic lands and oceans are responsible for up to 25 percent of the global net sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Under current predictions of global warming, this Arctic sink could be diminished or reversed, potentially accelerating predicted rates of climate change.