Monthly Archives: March 2014

NASA Radiation Probes Aiding Space Weather Forecasts

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Two NASA probes are helping scientists get a better understanding of how the giant belts of radiation around Earth affect the spacecraft circling the planet.

Scientists are using data gathered by NASA's twin Van Allen Probes, which launched to Earth orbit in August 2012, in concert with advanced computer models, to simulate the dynamic radiation environment of near-Earth space, two new studies report.

"The Van Allen Probes are gathering great measurements, but they can't tell you what is happening everywhere at the same time," Geoff Reeves, of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, said in a statement earlier this month. "We need models to provide a context, to describe the whole system, based on the Van Allen Probe observations."

The Van Allen belts named after James Van Allen, who discovered them in 1958 are like two enormous doughnuts that encircle Earth. The space doughnuts are composed of charged particles including protons, electrons and various other ions that are held in place by Earth's magnetic field. Because the particles have so much energy, they can damage instruments in orbit.

These particles are doubly dangerous because their behavior has so far been unpredictable; depending on the sun's activity, their energy can jump drastically, sometimes to 99 percent the speed of light. Scientists would love to be able to predict this behavior a skill that would help them design spacecraft that can better withstand the rigors of the space environment.

The Van Allen Probes are bringing scientists closer to achieving that goal. The spacecraft provide crucial information to a computer model developed by Los Alamos scientists known as DREAM3D (short for Dynamic Radiation Environment Assimilation Model in 3 Dimensions) which had relied heavily on data gathered in the early 1990s by NASA's Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite.

For example, scientists compared simulations generated by DREAM3D against data collected by the Van Allen Probes and NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer satellite during a powerful solar storm in October 2012.

DREAM3D did a pretty good job of predicting the major effects, researchers said.

"That gives us some confidence in our model," Reeves said. "And, more importantly, it gives us confidence that we are starting to understand what's going on in the radiation belts."

The two new studies were published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

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Nano-paper filter removes viruses

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Mar-2014

Contact: Albert Mihranyan albert.mihranyan@angstrom.uu.se 46-701-679-037 Uppsala University

Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University have developed a paper filter, which can remove virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The paper filter consists of 100 percent high purity cellulose nanofibers, directly derived from nature.

The research was carried out in collaboration with virologists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences/Swedish National Veterinary Institute and is published in the Advanced Healthcare Materials journal.

Virus particles are very peculiar objects- tiny (about thousand times thinner than a human hair) yet mighty. Viruses can only replicate in living cells but once the cells become infected the viruses can turn out to be extremely pathogenic. Viruses can actively cause diseases on their own or even transform healthy cells to malignant tumors.

"Viral contamination of biotechnological products is a serious challenge for production of therapeutic proteins and vaccines. Because of the small size, virus removal is a non-trivial task, and, therefore, inexpensive and robust virus removal filters are highly demanded" says Albert Mihranyan, Associate Professor at the Division of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University, who heads the study.

Cellulose is one of the most common materials to produce various types of filters because it is inexpensive, disposable, inert and non-toxic. It is also mechanically strong, hydrophyllic, stable in a wide range of pH, and can withstand sterilization e.g. by autoclaving. Normal filter paper, used for chemistry, has too large pores to remove viruses.

The undergraduate student Linus Wgberg, Professor Maria Strmme, and Associate Professor Albert Mihranyan at the Division of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University, in collaboration with virologists Dr. Giorgi Metreveli, Eva Emmoth, and Professor Sndor Belk from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)/Swedish National Veterinary Institute (SVA), report a design of a paper filter which is capable of removing virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The reported paper filter, which is manufactured according to the traditional paper making processes, consists of 100 percent high purity cellulose nanofibers directly derived from nature.

The discovery is a result of a decade long research on the properties of high surface area nanocellulose materials, which eventually enabled the scientists to tailor the pore size distribution of their paper precisely in the range desirable for virus filtration.

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Nano-paper filter removes viruses

Researchers Develop Nano-paper Filter that can Remove Virus Particles

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Researchers Develop Nano-paper Filter that can Remove Virus Particles

Nano-paper filter consists of 100 percent high purity cellulose nanofibers. Above, illustration shows nanofibers in white and the virus particles in green.

March 31, 2014 - Researchers at the Division of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University have developed a paper filter, which can remove virus particles with an efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The paper filter consists of 100 percent high purity cellulose nanofibers, directly derived from nature.

The research was carried out in collaboration with virologists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences/Swedish National Veterinary Institute and is published in the Advanced Healthcare Materials journal.

Virus particles are very peculiar objects- tiny (about thousand times thinner than a human hair) yet mighty. Viruses can only replicate in living cells but once the cells become infected the viruses can turn out to be extremely pathogenic. Viruses can actively cause diseases on their own or even transform healthy cells to malignant tumors.

"Viral contamination of biotechnological products is a serious challenge for production of therapeutic proteins and vaccines. Because of the small size, virus removal is a non-trivial task, and, therefore, inexpensive and robust virus removal filters are highly demanded," says Albert Mihranyan, Associate Professor at the Division of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University, who heads the study.

Cellulose is one of the most common materials to produce various types of filters because it is inexpensive, disposable, inert and non-toxic. It is also mechanically strong, hydrophyllic, stable in a wide range of pH, and can withstand sterilization e.g. by autoclaving. Normal filter paper, used for chemistry, has too large pores to remove viruses.

The undergraduate student Linus Wgberg, Professor Maria Strmme, and Associate Professor Albert Mihranyan at the Division of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University, in collaboration with virologists Dr. Giorgi Metreveli, Eva Emmoth, and Professor Sndor Belk from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)/Swedish National Veterinary Institute (SVA), report a design of a paper filter which is capable of removing virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters.

The reported paper filter, which is manufactured according to the traditional paper making processes, consists of 100 percent high purity cellulose nanofibers directly derived from nature.

The discovery is a result of a decade long research on the properties of high surface area nanocellulose materials, which eventually enabled the scientists to tailor the pore size distribution of their paper precisely in the range desirable for virus filtration.

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Researchers Develop Nano-paper Filter that can Remove Virus Particles

This smart nano-tech patch knows when you need more drugs

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Outside of smartwatches, wristbands, and smart eyewear, wearable technology is making waves in the medical community. For example, weve already heard about health-monitoring tattoos, which can tell doctors about how your heart, muscles, or brain are functioning. The next evolutionary step could be similar smart patches, developed using nano technology, which not only deliver drugs into your system, but know when youve had enough or need a higher dose.

A study, carried out in South Korea and published by Nature Technology, outlines the development of wearable bio-integrated systems, as an alternative to wearing bulkier hardware. These skin patches are not only less intrusive, but are also capable of delivering medicine to the wearer, and smart enough to know how much is needed.

The stretchable, rectangular patches measure around 2-inches in size, and have a nano-particle coating which monitors muscle activity. Theyre heat activated, and when the wearers body temperature rises, so the drug delivery is increased. By using a system like this, patients would no longer need to wear potentially uncomfortable, or highly noticeable health monitoring devices, but more importantly theres no possibility of forgetting, or being unable, to take pills at the right time.

An example given in the paper is for sufferers of Parkinsons disease. Muscle tremors would be picked up by the patch, and thanks to an integrated memory system, it would know if a higher dose of corrective treatment was required. In the cases where body temperature doesnt change, but medicine is still needed, a built-in heater is activated to start the flow.

Speaking to The Verge, one of the engineers working on the project said that in the future, wireless components could be added to the patch. This would allow doctors to remotely diagnose patients based on telemetry gathered by the patch, then tell it to either increase or decrease drug dosage. All without a visit to the hospital or doctors office. Its very exciting, but the technology is still in the early stages, and we shouldnt expect to see this type of wearable medical patch for at least another five years.

DT

Andy's fascination with mobile tech began in the 90s, at a time when SMS messages were considered cutting edge, but it would be a decade before he would put finger-to-keyboard as a technology writer. In the interim he wrote about travel, formulated strong opinions about films and owned a series of audacious cars.

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This smart nano-tech patch knows when you need more drugs

Nano Days at Cape Fear Museum

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Submitted by Sara Hopkins on Sat, 03/29/2014 - 6:55pm.READ MORE:

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- A nation-wide education exhibit comes to the Port City.

The Cape Fear Museum hosts Nano Days.

Kids learned hands on about nanoscale science and engineering.

They interacted with experiments like Electroplating where kids got to make a nickle look like a penny

Third grader Max Kerrigan says he likes getting out of the classroom to learn more about science.

"Oh it's way different." Max said, "We don't do this kind of science stuff. The science there is kind of boring compared to this."

Nano days takes place nationally through April 6th.

Disclaimer: Comments posted on this, or any story are opinions of those people posting them, and not the views or opinions of WWAY NewsChannel 3, its management or employees. You can view our comment policy here.

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Nano scale, mega scope

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12 hours ago Diagram of a tripod scanning stage based on three X7R MLCCs for an atomic force microscopy AFM imaging system

Research in China has shown that a common hybrid circuit component has potential for use as a micro-actuator. The industrial grade MLCCs tested display surprisingly little hysteresis, suggesting they could be of interest in many microactuation applications including nanoposition for scanning probe microscopes.

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Micro-actuation used for nanopositioning is important for nanotechnology tools such as the scanning probe microscope (SPM), that make use of micro-actuator nanopositioning systems with resolutions of less than a nanometer and travel ranges of several micrometers to allow researchers to study objects at the molecular and atomic levels.

Micro-actuators are normally made from piezoceramic or electrostrictor materials. One of the main issues with piezoelectric units is hysteretic behaviour between applied voltage and output mechanical displacement. This limits their use in high precision displacement tracking applications. Control strategies have been developed to overcome these limitations but none have provided satisfactory performance with regard to all the issues involved, i.e. speed, resolution, robustness and complexity. Electrostrictive devices, on the other hand, suffer far less from hysteresis but are limited by large temperature sensitivity and a highly nonlinear field-strain relationship.

Uncommon use

A team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei believe they have found an alternative solution in a commonly used electronic component the multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC). MLCCs are fundamental electronic components, typically making up 30% of the elements in a hybrid circuit board. They consist of a monolithic ceramic block surrounding comb-like sintered electrodes, with an electrical contact made by burnt-in metallic layers. There are several classes, defined by the type of ceramic dielectric material used, and it is members of the Class II MLCCs that have caught the USTC team's attention, those known by the designation X7R.

X7R MLCCs use mainly ferroelectric ceramics that exhibit piezoelectric effects. However, when used as a micro-actuator they display very little of the hysteretic behavior associated with piezoelectric materials. "The almost no-hysteresis behavior of the proposed X7R MLCC actuators allows simple manipulations in open-loop, high-precision displacement tracking applications. They do not require poling and have much better linear displacement and less temperature sensitivity than traditional electrostrictive materials. MLCC actuators seem to combine the benefits of traditional piezoelectric and electrostrictive actuators," said team member Dr Zhihua Feng .

As MLCCs share a stacked construction with piezoelectric stack actuators, but with much thinner dielectric layers, the team suspected that the electrostatic force generated inside the capacitors might be able to deform them. But their experiments showed that only extension deformations were generated, regardless of the polarity of the applied voltage, and calculations showed the electrostatic forces to be too weak to produce the observed strain. So, they theorised that a converse piezoelectric effect might be at work, but experiments showed that the piezoelectric effect in the MLCCs was rather weak. "Since the MLCCs had not been poled it could be the bias voltage that induced the net polarisation in the MLCCs and this was confirmed by the significantly enhanced piezoelectric effect with a DC bias applied on the MLCCs. At this point, we assume that the net polarisation in the MLCCs is due to the DC bias voltage and that the converse piezoelectric effect exists at that state," said Feng.

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Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science Celebrates Whats NEXT From Nano to Macro, Innovation at Every Scale

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By cnews Date posted: March 31, 2014

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science and the Ryder Charitable Foundation are excited and proud to host a new two-day festival, NEXT: From Nano to Macro, Innovation at Every Scale. At NEXT, science and techie fans of all ages can learn about how technology is rapidly adapting to accommodate societys growing demand for the NEXT big thing. During the weekend, visitors will discover that innovation is everywhere from the obvious to the discreet. Activities include the following:

Explore the journey of new ideas from concept to reality through The NEXT Big Thing Innovation Showcase by University of Miamis The Launch Pad, and be inspired to create from inventors of a variety of ages and interests.

Climb in a big green truck from Ryder and electric cars from Tesla to learn about the latest technology in sustainable transportation.

Learn how current technological developments are leading to improvements for individuals and the environment, from better repairs for the human body to more sustainable transportation with the nano talk series including prominent innovators, scientists and engineers from Ryder, BioNIUM, and UMs Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering.

Dive into the Maker movement through two challenges. At the Mutants Maker Challenge, artist and designer Ernesto Oroza demonstrates how to repurpose the old to become new. During the Belly of the Beast Maker Activity, artist Kerry Phillips uses old and found objects to create a new community art project.*

Become the NEXT Maker with the Make Me a Maker activities series for kids led by REM Learning Center South Get animated by altering your surroundings through a visually striking projection mapping experience in the planetarium led by Phenomenal Experience Agency.

Discover how the very small can impact the very big with nano interactives provided by NISE Networks Nano Days, BioNIUM, and Materials Advantage FIU Chapter.

Stimulate your musical side with sound demos and activities with Arduino Musical Hopstotch by DCR Arduino Brigade.

Join The LAB Miami in its weekend long Hackathon Challenge with an app showcase on Sunday at 1pm. Pre-selected programming teams will have 24 hours to complete the challenge! (The public is welcome to attend the brainstorming kick-off event on Friday, April 4th at the Museum.)

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Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science Celebrates Whats NEXT From Nano to Macro, Innovation at Every Scale

HEALTH BRIEFS: Wellness expo to feature Olympian

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MERRILLVILLE | Brian Hansen, a two-time Olympian in long track speedskating who lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago, will appear at an upcoming health and wellness expo.

Hosted by the Foundation for Molecular Medicine of Crown Point, the event will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 18 and from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. April 19 at Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza, 800 E. 81st Ave.

The annual event will include exhibitors, demonstrations, health screenings and presentations.

The expo is a fundraising event to support the work of the Foundation for Molecular Medicine, which is a nonprofit organization that focuses on cancer research, early detection and education on health and wellness programs that prevent cancer and other degenerative diseases.

The fee is $4, and it can be discounted in half with a coupon obtained from the website http://www.ffmm.org. For more information, to become an exhibitor or a sponsor, contact the foundation at (219) 644-3237.

Diabetes, eye health in focus

MUNSTER | Dr. Rand Diab, a board certified ophthalmologist, will give a presentation about the link between diabetes and eye damage.

The talk will last from 6-7 p.m. April 3 at Franciscan Hammond Clinic Specialty Center, 7905 Calumet Ave.

Attendees will learn how diabetes affects the eyes, what eye conditions diabetics are most at risk for, specific eye tests, treatment options and how to maintain good eye health.

Call (800) 931-3322 to register.

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HEALTH BRIEFS: Wellness expo to feature Olympian

Pirate Bay announces fake April Fools device designed to embrace your entire mind

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Though there may be a day when human beings will be able to upload themselves to the Internet and/or a humanoid-like cyborg, that day is supposed to be at least a few decades away.

However, the Pirate Bay announced on its official blog that theyre currently developing a device that will allow users to plug into all the files and data that can be accessed on the site, and essentially download it into their brains. With April 1 just hours away here in the states, the announcement is also (most likely) an April Fools Day joke.

Heres how the blog post describes the device:

In cooperation with Russian, Israeli and Japanese neuro scientists, we are developing a device that will embrace your entire mind. Using laser projections directly onto the retina itll no longer be any resolution but 100 percent. The sound will be delivered in a range from 12Hz to 79kHz and will cancel all noise from the outside world. Using a simple plugin into the the brain, you will no longer only be able to see and hear a movie, a game or whatever it is you want. Youll be able to live it. Play the main character. Tweak any story in any way you want.

The post also goes on to say that the entirety of The Pirate Bay would be stored within you, and implores readers to embrace the sites vision with this message:

Forget about the outside world. This is the new.

This is already the second tech-themed April Fools Joke that weve come across, even though its not April 1 yet. Earlier, we spotted a Chinese site that published an authentic-looking but undoubtedly fake image of a wafer-thin Mac Air desktop.

We cant help but wonder what sorts of tech-related hi-jinx well be subjected to when tomorrow rolls around.

(Image via WallpaperMania.eu)

DT

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Pirate Bay announces fake April Fools device designed to embrace your entire mind

Johnny Depp confirms engagement to Amber Heard

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Actor Johnny Depp attends a promotional event for his new movie "Transcendence" in Beijing on March 31, 2014.  AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan

Johnny Depp showed off a diamond engagement ring that he called a "chick's ring" on Monday -- indirectly confirming rumors of his engagement to actress Amber Heard.

While in Beijing promoting his new film "Transcendence," the 50-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star was asked whether he was engaged. He replied: "The fact that I'm wearing a chick's ring on my finger is probably a dead giveaway. Not very subtle." He laughed as he lifted up his left hand and displayed a single diamond on a band around his ring finger.

His comments follow months of unconfirmed reports of his engagement to Heard, 27, who starred with Depp in "The Rum Diary" and with Kevin Costner in "3 Days to Kill," which was released in the U.S. earlier this year. In a trademark off-the-wall comment, Depp said: "I think that I would be better at making women's shoes than I would be at wedding planning, I can't plan anything. I'm really bad at that stuff."

In 2012, Depp split with his partner of 14 years, French model-singer Vanessa Paradis. They have two children.

In "Transendence," Depp plays a terminally ill scientist who downloads his mind into a computer in the sci-fi drama that asks: What if we could upload a human mind into a computer? It also stars Rebecca Hall as Depp's wife and Morgan Freeman.

"The technology that exists within the film, what I find most fascinating is that a lot of it exists already and by all accounts from scholars and professors and scientists that species of technology is not far away, that kind of artificial intelligence," said Depp in an interview.

"It's one of those films that one person is forced to make a choice in an instant, when your loved one is dying and you have a split-second decision if you have the ability to upload their consciousness into a computer, would you do that? It's quite a strange decision to make, but for love I think we would all do it."

"Transcendence" comes out on April 18 in both the U.S. and China.

2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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