Tech | Page 1023 | Science Codex

From fire breaks to fire hazards

HAMILTON, ON, June 27, 2016 - The peat bogs of the world, once waterlogged repositories of dead moss, are being converted into fuel-packed fire hazards that can burn for months and generate deadly smoke, warns a McMaster researcher who documents the threat -- and a possible solution -- in a paper published today in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Since the glaciers receded about 12,000 years ago, the humble bog has acted as a storage vault for atmospheric carbon, packed with dead moss and topped by a green layer of living moss that can come back after a burn.

New era opens as first UK Robotics Week begins

A new era of innovation and discovery opens tomorrow when the first UK Robotics Week June 25 - July 1 begins.

Organised by the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network (UK-RAS Network), the week opens with a series of events across the country that aim to get the public engaged with the developments and debate in and around robotics.

As well as inspiring young and older people through a number of challenges targeted at schools, academia and industry, the week will demonstrate the high quality research taking place in the UK's universities.

Coal to solar: Retraining the energy workforce

As more coal-fired power plants are retired, industry workers are left without many options. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though.

In a new study published in Energy Economics, researchers from Michigan Technological University and Oregon State University offer hope for coal workers for high-quality employment in the rapidly expanding solar photovoltaic industry.

Researchers devise new tool to measure polarization of light

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new tool for detecting and measuring the polarization of light based on a single spatial sampling of the light, rather than the multiple samples required by previous technologies. The new device makes use of the unique properties of organic polymers, rather than traditional silicon, for polarization detection and measurement.

Warning from the past: Future global warming could be even warmer

Future global warming will not only depend on the amount of emissions from man-made greenhouse gasses, but will also depend on the sensitivity of the climate system and response to feedback mechanisms. By reconstructing past global warming and the carbon cycle on Earth 56 million years ago, researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute among others have used computer modelling to estimate the potential perspective for future global warming, which could be even warmer than previously thought. The results are published in the scientific journal, Geophysical Research Letters.

Borophene: A prospective extraordinary sodium anode material for sodium-based batteries

Sodium-based batteries have drawn considerable attention as a prospective alternative to lithium-based batteries due to the abundance and low price of sodium element. However, finding a suitable anode material has been a long-standing critical task before the commercialization of sodium-based batteries. As the size of sodium atom is much larger than that of lithium atom, many anode materials widely used in lithium-based batteries show poor performance in sodium-based batteries, most of which suffering from low intercalation utility, slow kinetics and sever volume expansion.

Superheroes are real

Scientists demonstrated the effect of the all-optical switching between streams of photons using non-linear metamaterials. The Lomonosov Moscow State University staff planned the whole study, conducted calculations and experiments, while their German colleagues made samples of metamaterials. The work is published in Scientific Reports.

State laws aimed at curbing opioid abuse may not be working for one group with high rates of use

Lebanon, NH -- A new study by researchers from The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice and UCLA School of Law found state laws aimed at curbing prescription opioid abuse have had no measurable effect on opioid use by a vulnerable population with high rates of use.

How molecules can do statistics

Mobile phones have become commonplace. Modern communication devices like mobile phones need to exchange huge amounts of information. However, what is hidden underneath the elegantly shaped plastic casings is quickly forgotten: Complex signal processors constantly fighting against noise and steadily adapting themselves to changing environment.

Visual cloud computing methods could help first responders in disaster scenarios

COLUMBIA, Mo. - In natural or man-made disasters, the ability to process massive amounts of visual electronic data quickly and efficiently could mean the difference between life and death for survivors. Visual data created by numerous security cameras, personal mobile devices and aerial video provide useful data for first responders and law enforcement. That data can be critical in terms of knowing where to send emergency personnel and resources, tracking suspects in man-made disasters, or detecting hazardous materials.

GraphExeter illuminates bright new future for flexible lighting devices

Researchers from the University of Exeter have pioneered an innovative new technique to make flexible screens more effective and efficient.

A team of Engineers and Physicists from Exeter have discovered that GraphExeter - a material adapted from the 'wonder material' graphene - can substantially improve the effectiveness of large, flat, flexible lighting.

By using GraphExeter, the most transparent, lightweight and flexible material for conducting electricity, instead of pure graphene, the team have increased the brightness of flexible lights by up to almost 50 per cent.

Drug monitoring programs reduce opioid deaths: Study

The implementation of state prescription drug monitoring programs was associated with the prevention of approximately one opioid-related overdose death every two hours on average nationwide, according to a new Vanderbilt-led study released June 22 in the journal Health Affairs.

States with the most robust programs saw the greatest reduction in overdose deaths: these states monitored and tracked a greater number of substances with abuse potential and updated their data more frequently (at least weekly).

Neutralizing acidic forest soils boosts tree growth, causes spike in nitrogen export

(Millbrook, NY) A legacy of acid rain has acidified forest soils throughout the northeastern US, lowering the growth rate of trees. In an attempt to mitigate this trend, in 1999 scientists added calcium to an experimental forest in New Hampshire. Tree growth recovered, but a decade later there was a major increase in the nitrogen content of stream water draining the site. So reports a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a team of scientists from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Duke University, and Syracuse University.

Bioplastic and biofabric tested for cucumber production

URBANA, IL - The use of polyethylene mulch is a common practice in vegetable production, but environmental issues related to the disposal of petroleum-based plastic mulches have producers looking for alternatives. To address environmental concerns, commercial vegetable growers are increasingly interested in using organic mulches derived from agricultural or urban byproducts and waste, paper-based mulches, and biodegradable plastic films and fabrics as alternatives.

How huanglongbing affects oranges' detachment force, fruit properties

FORT PIERCE, FL - The citrus greening disease, huanglongbing (HLB), is a devastating condition that has been reported in 40 countries across the globe. Citrus trees infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) develop HLB symptoms such as reduced plant height, yellow shoots, blotchy mottled leaves, canopy thinning, and premature abscission of fruits. Citrus fruits severely affected by HLB can be small, lopsided, and poorly colored, with bitter or sour tasting juice.