Tech | Page 1752 | Science Codex

Engineer's findings could help hybrid, electric cars keep their cool

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Understanding precisely how fluid boils in tiny "microchannels" has led to formulas and models that will help engineers design systems to cool high-power electronics in electric and hybrid cars, aircraft, computers and other devices.

Allowing a liquid to boil in cooling systems dramatically increases how much heat can be removed, compared to simply heating a liquid to below its boiling point, said Suresh Garimella, the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University.

DRIVSCO computer system enables cars to learn from their drivers

Scientists from six European countries, including Spain, have developed a new computer system so called DRIVSCO that allows vehicles to learn from the behaviour of their drivers at the wheel, in such a way that they can detect if a driver presents an "unusual behaviour" in a curve or an obstacle on the road and generates signals of alarm which warn him on time to react.

New multi-use device can shed light on oxygen intake

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A fiber-optic sensor created by a team of Purdue University researchers that is capable of measuring oxygen intake rates could have broad applications ranging from plant root development to assessing the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs.

New computing innovations could lead to better crops and pesticides, say researchers

A new computing tool that could help scientists predict how plants will react to different environmental conditions in order to create better crops, such as tastier and longer lasting tomatoes, is being developed by researchers.

The tool will form part of a new £1.7 million Syngenta University Centre at Imperial College London, announced today, which will see researchers from Imperial and Syngenta working together to improve agricultural products.

Transhumance helps vulture conservation

Researchers from the University of Segovia and the University of León have shown for the first time the close space-time relationship between the presence of the griffon vulture and transhumant sheep farming in mountain passes. Transhumance has fallen in some parts of Spain by up to 80% over the past four years. The scientists say that traditional livestock farming practices are crucial for the preservation of mountain ecosystems.

A trillion triangles

September 22, 2009 – Mathematicians from North America, Europe, Australia, and South America have resolved the first one trillion cases of an ancient mathematics problem. The advance was made possible by a clever technique for multiplying large numbers. The numbers involved are so enormous that if their digits were written out by hand they would stretch to the moon and back. The biggest challenge was that these numbers could not even fit into the main memory of the available computers, so the researchers had to make extensive use of the computers' hard drives.

New device could more effectively alleviate menstrual cramp pain

While most women experience minor pain during menstruation, for others, the pain can be severe enough to interfere with everyday activities and require medication. New research to be presented at the 2009 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition will reveal initial findings of safety surrounding a new device that may more effectively treat menstrual pain.

Problems managing money may surface shortly before Alzheimer's disease sets in

ST. PAUL, Minn. – New research finds poor money management skills may indicate that a person with mild memory problems will soon develop Alzheimer's disease. The study is published in the September 22, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Poor money management may be early indicator of Alzheimer's disease, say UAB researchers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Inability to handle financial transactions or manage money may be an early indicator that a person with mild memory problems soon is likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Alzheimer's Disease Center, part of the Department of Neurology.

The findings, published in the Sept. 22 edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, examined patients with a condition known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), thought to be a precursor to Alzheimer's.

Tanning may be associated with moles in very light-skinned children

Very–light-skinned children without red hair who tan appear to develop more nevi (birthmarks, moles or other colored spots on the skin) than children who do not tan, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Mild exercise while in the ICU reduces bad effects of prolonged bed rest

Critical care experts at Johns Hopkins are reporting initial success in boosting recovery and combating muscle wasting among critically ill, mostly bed-bound patients using any one of a trio of mild physical therapy exercises during their stays in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Few complications 1 year after aortic valve implantation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 – Research presented at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), demonstrated an "exceptionally low" rate of complications one year after implantation of transcatheter aortic valve prostheses.

Drug-eluting stents safe, effective for treatment of chronic total occlusions

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 – A multicenter study in Asia found drug-eluting stents effective with a low rate of acute complications in patients with chronic total occlusions (CTOs) undergoing PCI. Results of the study will be presented at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).

Researchers find drug-eluting stents safe, effective for PCI in diabetics

SAN FRANCISCO, CA ─ SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 – Results of a multicenter study in Asia, demonstrating that drug-eluting stents are effective with a low rate of complications in diabetic patients, will be presented at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).

Early results: In children, 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine works like seasonal flu vaccine

Early results from a trial testing a 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in children look promising, according to the trial sponsor, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.