A collaborative research project has brought the world a step closer to producing a new material on which future nanotechnology could be based. Researchers across Europe, including the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL), have demonstrated how an incredible material, graphene, could hold the key to the future of high-speed electronics, such as micro-chips and touchscreen technology.
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Electric control of aligned spins improves computer memory
Researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the French research facility CNRS, south of Paris, are using electric fields to manipulate the property of electrons known as 'spin' to store data permanently.
A roundabout method of reading data can improve quantum memory
Researchers who hope to create quantum computers are currently investigating various methods to store data. Nitrogen atoms embedded in diamond show promise for encoding quantum bits (qubits), but the process of reading the information results in an extremely weak signal. Now physicists have demonstrated a roundabout approach for generating a significantly stronger signal from these sorts of qubits.
EnerDel, ITOCHU Announce Second Smart Grid Battery Storage Project
American lithium-ion battery producer EnerDel announced today that it is partnering with the real estate arm of Japan's industrial trading giant, ITOCHU Corporation, to develop and produce the advanced battery systems for a residential smart grid energy storage project to be installed in a major apartment building near Tokyo.
Single-molecule experiments bring a higher-resolution tool to the study of protein folding
Biophysicists at TUM, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen, have published the results of single-molecule experiments that bring a higher-resolution tool to the study of protein folding.
Solder magnetic nanocomposites that could help streamline the process of computer electronic packaging
Carnegie Mellon University and Intel Corporation will unveil a new class of materials called solder magnetic nanocomposites that could help streamline the process of computer electronic packaging.
New visible light nanoparticle photocatalyst kills bacteria, even after light turned off
In the battle against bacteria, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a powerful new weapon - an enhanced photocatalytic disinfection process that uses visible light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, even in the dark.
Sort Of Bring Your Old Car Into the 21st Century With Brando’s Bluetooth Steering Wheel MP3 Player [Carelectronics]
Brando's new Steering Wheel Bluetooth MP3/FM Car Kit is a wacky little device that hangs on your steering wheel, giving you all sorts of different features probably done better by a nice in-dash stereo kit.
First, there's a Bluetooth speakerphone for hands free driving, including an ugly little Bluetooth headset. There's also a built-in MP3 player that reads files off microSD cards and transmits audio to your stereo via an FM transmitter.
The phonebook holds 600 numbers, the battery is rechargeable, and this thing seems like a crappy substitute for any number of better gadgets. But hey, for $48 it's probably one of the cheapest ways to get all of these features into a beater you don't feel like upgrading with a nice in-dash stereo. [Brando via CrunchGear]
Apple Boot Camp 3.1 Update Includes Windows 7 Support [Boot Camp]
It's a little behind schedule, but Mac users can now run Windows 7 natively after today's Boot Camp update. Boot Camp 3.1 supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Multiple OS enthusiasts, rejoice!
The software update also adds Magic Mouse and Apple wireless keyboard support and fixes up some trackpad issues. Pretty good day's work! And if you're at all confused or intimidated about Boot Camp, our handy survival guide should get you through in one piece. [AppleInsider]
New Nanoparticles Act Like Burrs to Target & Latch Onto Damaged Cells | 80beats
We’ve brought you stories of lab-created blood cells able to simulate red blood cells in humans, or to act like platelets in rodents and stop bleeding. Now, in a study soon to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, comes a new, even smaller creation for our bloodstreams: A nanoparticle that could target and latch onto only the damaged cells in arteries around the heart to deliver drugs there.
The MIT researchers, led by Robert Langer, have developed other nanoparticles to target cancer; this new particle they call a “nanoburr,” named for those seeds covered in bristles or hooks that latch onto animals passing by. Its nanoburrs are coated with proteins which can only stick to a structure in the blood vessel wall called the “basement membrane.” This is only exposed when the wall is damaged, so only damaged sections of blood vessel are targeted [BBC News]. Then the particle can slowly release the drug stored inside.
Each particle is just 60 nanometres across – 60 billionths of a metre – and consists of three layers. The inner core contains the drug in question bound to a long-chained molecule, or polymer. A middle layer made of fatty material separates this core from the outer coating of a polymer that protects the particle as it travels in the blood stream [The Independent]. Medical researchers covet this kind of targeted drug delivery not only because it could make treatment more effective, but also because it lowers the risk of exposing other parts of the body to potentially toxic treatments.
While the nanoburrs in this case were designed to target damaged or hardened arteries and release drugs to combat atherosclerosis, Langer says the idea could be adapted to target any condition that deteriorates cell walls in a similar way, as some cancers and inflammatory diseases do. As usual, however, medical use in patients remains many years away.
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80beats: To Mend a Broken Heart, Researchers Start in the Stomach
80beats: Lab-Created Platelets Slow Bleeding in Rodents
Image: MIT
HTC Apparently Abandons Tablet PC Plans For Now [Tablet]
The rumored HTC + Google Chrome OS tablet might have to wait, based on HTC's sales and marketing director claiming that the company will kill that off and focus on Android smartphones instead.
This doesn't mean that an HTC tablet is dead forever; I bet the company is just waiting for both Apple's tablet and Chrome OS to prove themselves first before sinking their development money into a completely new field. [Channel News via Electronista]
Could a Deep-Sea Snail’s Shell Inspire Next-Gen Body-Armor? | 80beats
The next generation of bulletproof vests and military armor could well be inspired by a deep-sea snail, say scientists.
A team led by materials scientist Christine Ortiz of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology investigated the iron-rich shell of the “scaly foot” mollusk, whose triple-layered shell gives it one of the strongest exoskeletons seen in nature. The researchers believe that copying its microstructure could help in the development of armor for soldiers, tanks, and helicopters. Their work was published (pdf) this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists were first drawn to this snail in 2003 when they discovered it living in a relatively harsh environment on the floor of the Indian Ocean. It lives near hydrothermal vents that spew hot water–thereby exposing it to fluctuations in temperature as well as high acidity. It also faces attacks from predators like crabs and other snail species. But unlike other snail species, this snail survives because of its thick shell and the different properties of each of its three layers.
The outer layer of the snail’s shell is composed of iron sulphides. The scaly-foot snail is the only known animal species that uses iron sulphides as part of its structure. The middle layer is organic and much thicker than the other two. The researchers compare it to the thin protein coating, called the periostracum, seen on the shells of other snail species. The inner layer is composed of aragonite, a calcium mineral found in mollusk shells and corals [CBC]. The design of the shell apparently allows it to deflect attacks by crabs that pick up snails in their claws and squeeze them, sometimes for days at a time, in an attempt to crack their shells.
Using a device called an indenter, the researchers applied a force to the shell using a diamond tip. They discovered that the outer shell is designed to crack in a way that absorbs energy. Cracks spread only by fanning out around the iron sulphide particles. This “microcracking” not only absorbs energy, it also ensures that larger cracks do not form. What’s more, the particles of iron sulphide may blunt and deform intruding claws [The Times of India]. Meanwhile, the thick inner layer seems to absorb the mechanical energy exerted by either an indenter or a crab claw, and may also dissipate heat.
Coating armor in iron based nanoparticles that dissipate the energy of a blow by generating microcracks is “largely unexplored in synthetic systems” and particularly promising, said Ortiz. She said helmets, motorbikes, and even Arctic oil pipelines that are buffeted by icebergs could benefit from this study. Ortiz and her team are now looking at a host of natural exoskeletons to study protective design principles, including chitons, urchins, beetles, and armored fish.
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DISCOVER: 8 Lessons Medicine is Learning From Mother Nature
DISCOVER: Expedition To The Bottom Of the Deep Blue Sea
Image: Dr. Anders Warén, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
The Space Bar: A Glimmer Of Hope For Cleaning Up Your Desktop Clutter [Peripherals]
Based on what I have seen in the past, there probably isn't much hope for the major slobs among you, but for the rest of us, the Space Bar might help free up some desktop space.
The Space Bar is basically an aluminum platform with six USB ports that you can use to stow a keyboard, elevate your monitor and the like. In fact, the concept is so simple, I'm still debating whether or not it would actually make a difference or just add yet another useless bit of clutter to your workspace. I'll let you decide if it's worth spending $42 on. [Quirky]
One Third Of U.S. 11-Year-Olds Have Cellphones [Charts]
More kids are getting mobile phones: Last year, more than 35% of U.S. children ages 10-11 had cellphones, almost double the amount in 2005, according to Mediamark data, via eMarketer. And more than 5% of 6-7-year-olds had cellphones last year.
Takeaway: The audience for kids-focused mobile content, apps, and advertising is growing rapidly.
White Stripe on Hewlett Packard LCD Monitor (At Least It's Not BSOD)
I have a HP DV8000 laptop (8040us specifically I believe) with a 17" screen. About a month ago I took it out of the laptop case and started it up, I noticed a White stripe about 1 inch wide about 2 inches from the right side of the screen which ran vertically the entire length of the monitor. In thi
Momma Bear Will Give Birth to Cubs Live on the Internet | Discoblog
“The internet is not something you just dump something on. It’s not a big truck. It’s a series of tubes,” former Republican Senator Ted Stevens explained back in 2006.
And now, thanks to that series of tubes, you can watch a bear give birth. We don’t know what Stevens would make of this, but here comes the bear-cam.
The BBC reports that for the very first time, a webcam has been placed inside the den belonging to a pregnant wild black bear named Lily, and the “bear-cam” will stream live images to the web as she gives birth.
The bear biologist tracking Lily hopes this live birth will help people overcome their fears and misconceptions about bears. The biologist, Lynn Rogers of the Wildlife Research Institute in northern Minnesota, told the BBC:
“We’re putting it [the bear-cam] there because there is so much that we don’t know about what bears do in dens and what behavior they have leading up to giving birth. And how they take care of the cubs.”
Lily is three years old, and viewers who see the live birth may see the arrival of three cubs–that’s the size of a regular bear litter. This may all seem like quite an invasion of privacy, however Lily is no stranger to the Internet. She’s already a bit of a star on Facebook. Her “Lily The Black Bear” fan page has garnered more than 30,000 fans. She also has her own Twitter account.
So go forth, dear reader, and “friend” the bear. And don’t forget to tune in to the live birth–when the cubs will greet their momma and the entire world all at once.
Related Content:
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Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Out of 5,146 Professional Sporting Events Every Year, AT&T Promises to Get One Right [At&t]
AT&T just wants you to know, their service will be ready to cover Dolphin Stadium for Super Bowl XLIV. Which makes you wonder, why wouldn't AT&T's service be prepped to handle the stress of a packed stadium?
A skeptic might see AT&T's distribution of a press release to promise adequate bandwidth during a professional sporting event as implication that, normally, AT&T isn't so reliable at sporting events!
But how big of a deal are sports, really? If you combine regular season games of the NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB, you'll realize there are 5,146 instances yearly in which, apparently, AT&T sees some reason to doubt their own coverage. And we're not even talking about preseason or playoffs.
That's 100 massive groups of people every week, sitting in one spot for several hours, all whom are on contract with a self-implied questionable service.
Congrats AT&T! A 0.02% success rate is really something to brag about!
AT&T Preps South Florida Wireless Network for Pro Bowl and Super Bowl
MIAMI, Jan 19, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Football players and fans aren't the only ones gearing up for the Jan. 31 Pro Bowl and Feb. 7 Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. AT&T is gearing up its South Florida network to help ensure those in town for the games have a winning wireless experience. AT&T announced today it is expanding capacity and coverage in and around Dolphin Stadium and other key areas in anticipation of increased voice and data traffic on its wireless network.
Network preparations for the big games include:
Three mobile cell sites on wheels, or COW, in the stadium parking lot;
A new distributed antenna system, or DAS, inside the stadium;
Fourth additional layer of capacity added to AT&T cell site inside the stadium: 2G (GSM/Global System for Mobile Communications) voice and data capacity increased by 100 percent and high-speed 3G (UMTS/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) voice and data capacity increased by 280 percent;
Capacity added to cell sites in the vicinity of the stadium;
Capacity added to cell sites serving hotels and resorts in Fort Lauderdale and South Beach where Super Bowl activities will be hosted;
A COW set up to serve Fort Lauderdale hotels where teams will be staying;
Capacity added to cell sites surrounding the facilities where the teams will be practicing; and
The addition of backhaul connectivity to cell sites surrounding the stadium to increase voice and data capacity between the sites and the routing switch.
"These are two of the biggest games of the year, and fans attending them want to be able to share the experience, as it's happening, with those back home, whether its through a voice call, text message, e-mail or picture and video messaging," said Rich Guidotti, vice president and general manager, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets for South Florida. "Our network team has been working for months to deliver the best possible wireless experience for the games and their related activities."
AT&T network personnel will be on site for the games to monitor the network. Traffic on the stadium cell sites will be balanced as needed during the games in order to maximize the ability for customers to make calls and use data services.
In addition to the network upgrades for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, AT&T substantially increased capacity on its 3G network throughout South Florida in 2009 with the addition of a third layer of capacity, or "third carrier" to several hundred cell sites from Key West to Vero Beach. AT&T also activated 20 new cell sites, added 3G technology to dozens of existing cell sites, upgraded its UMTS/3G switching center, added 7 new Radio Network Controllers to significantly increase capacity and added more than 2,500 backhaul connections in 2009.
From 2007 through third quarter 2009, AT&T invested more than $134 million in its wireless network in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties alone.
"We'll continue to invest and innovate to strengthen our wireless network performance so that our customers can have the best experience with their AT&T devices," said Marshall Criser, lll, AT&T president, Florida. "Our network investments and upgrades have made it possible for us to continue to deliver the nation's fastest 3G network and national voice call retainability scores that are near best-in-class."
AT&T's 3G network is now available in more than 350 U.S. cities, including all major metropolitan areas.
AT&T recently completed a software upgrade at 3G cell sites nationwide that prepares the nation's fastest 3G network for even faster speeds. The deployment of High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is the first of multiple initiatives in AT&T's network enhancement strategy designed to provide customers with the best possible mobile broadband experience, both today and well into the future. Faster 3G speeds will become available as AT&T combines the new technology with our second initiative during 2010 and 2011 to dramatically increase the number of high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic connections, adding capacity from cell sites to the AT&T backbone network.
For more information about AT&T's coverage in South Florida or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/. The online tool can measure the quality of coverage based on a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark.
For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit http://www.att.com/networknews.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
[Silicon Alley Insider and Research by David Chaid]
Chromium-Plated Steel
I often use chrome plated steel in creating junk sculptures. Items such as chrome wheel nuts, old sockets, chrome-vanadium spanners etc. I would like to know if the fumes from welding such items can be hazardous. I don't normally wear a respirator for ordinary steel welding (perhaps I should) but ar
Glycol Pump
Can anyone advise as to what shaft material is best in a low energy, low pressure centrifugal glycol circulating pump? I am leaning toward 4140. Any thoughts?
Saturn Storm
It’s easy to think of Jupiter when we see storms like the one I have here, but Saturn also has such storms.
A storm on Saturn. Click for a little larger version. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
This image is black and white, had it been in color the colors would be muted in comparison to Jupiter owing to the fact that Saturn is farther from the sun and the bands are less chemically complex.
Still Saturn has belts and zones just like Jupiter and don’t be fooled the winds of the upper atmosphere are fast, very fast at around 1,800 km/hr…that’s 1,100 + miles per hour! We don’t see as many really big cyclonic storms on Saturn and they don’t live as long.
Just like Jupiter, the gravitational contraction heats up the interior of the planet and helps power the storms. Yeah, real pressure, in the order of 4-million atmospheres, and the pressure is so intense the interior is thought to be liquid hydrogen with a core of rock and ice about 1.5 times the size of our Earth.
Next time you see a picture of Saturn and Jupiter side by side, notice that Saturn is flattened more at the poles, this is because of the low density of the planet and the rapid rotation. Oh sure, Jupiter also shows flattening, but not so much.
And yes Saturn would float in water because its density is 0.7 g/cc and water is generally regarded to be 1.0 g/cc.
About the image from the Cassini site:
This view looks toward a region centered at 24 degrees south of the planet’s equator.
The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Nov. 6, 2009 using a spectral filter sensitive to wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 12 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel.