Tech | Page 1676 | Science Codex

New spintronics material could help usher in next generation of microelectronics

As the electronics industry works toward developing smaller and more compact devices, the need to create new types of scaled-down semiconductors that are more efficient and use less power has become essential.

In a study to be published in the April issue of Nature Materials (currently available online), researchers from UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science describe the creation of a new material incorporating spintronics that could help usher in the next generation of smaller, more affordable and more power-efficient devices.

Scott White Healthcare researchers studying investigational agent that targets breast cancer

Scott & White Healthcare researchers are studying an investigational agent that targets metastatic breast cancer to find if it can stop cancer cells from continuing to grow.

Breast cancer patients, whose disease has spread despite treatment, could be eligible to participate in a Phase II clinical trial to determine the efficacy of an investigational agent used to target the inner workings of cancer cells.

Cyber wars

London (March 23, 2010) – In the new issue of Index on Censorship, 'Brave New Words', leading internet experts Ron Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski call for a new approach to tackling censorship online.

ESC supports 'appropriate' use of nuclear imaging technology

Cardiac nuclear imaging and computed tomography angiography (CCTA) still have an important role to play in cardiac disease diagnosis, say experts from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Laser security for the Internet

A British computer hacker equipped with a "Dummies" guide recently tapped into the Pentagon. As hackers get smarter, computers get more powerful and national security is put at risk. The same goes for your own personal and financial information transmitted by phone, on the Internet or through bank machines.

Racial disparities diminish in specialized cancer centers

African Americans die from cancer at higher rates than whites, studies have shown. Now, a new study led by Tracy Onega, PhD, MA, of Dartmouth Medical School finds that where patients are treated may partly explain these disparities in mortality.

New method could revolutionize dating of ancient treasures

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2010 — Scientists today described development of a new method to determine the age of ancient mummies, old artwork, and other relics without causing damage to these treasures of global cultural heritage. Reporting at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they said it could allow scientific analysis of hundreds of artifacts that until now were off limits because museums and private collectors did not want the objects damaged.

Never-married women face social stigma, researchers find

COLUMBIA, Mo. – In 2009, approximately 40 percent of adults were single, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In a new study, "I'm a Loser, I'm Not Married, Let's Just All Look at Me," a University of Missouri researcher examined the familial and societal messages given to women who are not married by their mid-30's. Although the number of single women has increased, the stigma associated with being single at that age has not diminished, according to the women in this study.

Mini generators make energy from random ambient vibrations

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Tiny generators developed at the University of Michigan could produce enough electricity from random, ambient vibrations to power a wristwatch, pacemaker or wireless sensor.

The energy-harvesting devices, created at U-M's Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems, are highly efficient at providing renewable electrical power from arbitrary, non-periodic vibrations. This type of vibration is a byproduct of traffic driving on bridges, machinery operating in factories and humans moving their limbs, for example.

How strong is your booze?

Both legitimate brewers and distillers - and authorities on the track of illicit alcohol from home stills - will soon have a helping hand. Measurement experts have unveiled a portable device to determine the strength of alcoholic drinks quickly and easily, almost anywhere. Published in the open access Chemistry Central Journal, the researchers show that their technique is just as accurate, and more sophisticated, than widely used lab-based methods.

NASA's TRMM Satellite measures Cyclone Ului's Australian rainfall from space

NASA and the Japanese Space Agency's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite can estimate rainfall from space. TRMM is used to monitor tropical rainfall around the world, and can also calculate flood potential. TRMM data was used to create an animation of Tropical Cyclone Ului's track as it approached and made landfall in Queensland, Australia this weekend.

Cognition declines 4 times faster in people with Alzheimer's disease than those with no dementia

People with Alzheimer's disease experience a rate of cognitive decline four times greater than those with no cognitive impairment according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The results of the study, which is only the second population-based study to quantify the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, are published in the March 23, 2010 issue of the journal Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Women caught up in 'rug rat race'

College-educated mothers in the United States are caught up in a "rug rat race." They are going to extremes to secure elite college admission for their kids, say University of California, San Diego economists Garey and Valerie Ramey. Since the mid-1990s, these women have dramatically increased the time they spend coordinating and driving their children to organized activities, trading in nine hours of their own leisure time every week to do so. All in the name of landing their progeny a seat at a top university.

Study explores link between sunlight, multiple sclerosis

MADISON — For more than 30 years, scientists have known that multiple sclerosis (MS) is much more common in higher latitudes than in the tropics. Because sunlight is more abundant near the equator, many researchers have wondered if the high levels of vitamin D engendered by sunlight could explain this unusual pattern of prevalence.

Household pesticide labels lack details on safe use

SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2010 — Label directions for using some household pesticides are written in a way that may leave consumers with the impression that "if a little is good, more is better," according to a study presented here today at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). As a result, consumers may use excessive amounts of pesticides that could subject family members and pets to increased exposures.