ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• 'Superlens' extends range of wireless power transfer
• Vibrations reveal state of bridge ropes
• Ultra-low consumption chip developed
• Researchers invent 'sideways' approach to 2-D hybrid materials
• Theory for metamaterials that act as an analog computer
• New study: US power plant emissions down
• Extraordinary sensors pushed to their boundaries: New step is being taken in development of ultra-stable sensors of small forces
• Tiny technology enables improved detection of circulating tumor cells
• Electronic book for students with visual impairments reaches for the stars
• Quantum mechanics explains efficiency of photosynthesis
• Grand Theft Troll? Anonymity encourages bad behaviour in online computer games, but group discipline wins the day
• Metal ink could ease way toward flexible electronic books, displays
• Laundering money -- literally -- could save billions of dollars
• Researchers propose alternative way to allocate science funding
• New algorithm can dramatically streamline solutions to the 'max flow' problem
• New holographic process uses image-stabilized X-ray camera
• Using Tablets, Telemedicine to Speed Stroke Treatment
• Self-driving vehicles offer potential benefits, policy challenges for lawmakers
• Synthetic natural gas from excess electricity
• Computer components can be damaged by key manufacturing processes

'Superlens' extends range of wireless power transfer Posted: 10 Jan 2014 12:32 PM PST Researchers have for the first time demonstrated the feasibility of wireless power transfer using low-frequency magnetic fields over distances much larger than the size of the transmitter and receiver.

Vibrations reveal state of bridge ropes Posted: 10 Jan 2014 07:26 AM PST The new ResoBridge method has been developed to check bridges during running traffic within one day. It measures the vibrations of the tensioning ropes of externally prestressed concrete bridges. In the future, it may also be used to check cable-stayed bridges and constructions as well as hybrid towers of wind power plants.

Ultra-low consumption chip developed Posted: 10 Jan 2014 07:26 AM PST Researchers have developed a chip incorporating a new design of ultra-low consumption, digital analogue converter; it consumes 50 million times less than a conventional light bulb.

Researchers invent 'sideways' approach to 2-D hybrid materials Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:54 PM PST Researchers have pioneered a new technique for forming a two-dimensional, single-atom sheet of two different materials with a seamless boundary.

Theory for metamaterials that act as an analog computer Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:37 AM PST A new study shows that metamaterials can be designed to do "photonic calculus" as a light wave goes through them. A light wave, when described in terms of space and time, has a profile that can be thought of as a curve on a Cartesian plane. This theoretical material can perform a specific mathematical operation on that wave's profile, such as finding its derivative, as the light wave passes through the material.

New study: US power plant emissions down Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:26 AM PST Power plants that use natural gas and a new technology to squeeze more energy from the fuel release far less of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide than coal-fired power plants do, according to a new analysis.

Extraordinary sensors pushed to their boundaries: New step is being taken in development of ultra-stable sensors of small forces Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:26 AM PST A new step is being taken in the development of ultra-stable sensors of small forces. EPFL researchers have found a way to eradicate external perturbations from interfering with their state-of-the art optomechanical measurement systems.

Tiny technology enables improved detection of circulating tumor cells Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:21 AM PST Detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood can play an important role in early diagnosis, characterization of cancer subtypes, treatment monitoring and metastasis. Researchers have developed a microfluidic system that isolates CTCs more efficiently than current technologies.

Electronic book for students with visual impairments reaches for the stars Posted: 09 Jan 2014 09:49 AM PST This huge Hubble mosaic, spanning a width of 600 light-years, shows a star factory of more the 800,000 stars being born. The stars are embedded inside the Tarantula Nebula, a vibrant region of star birth that resides 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small, satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. Hubble's near-infrared sensitivity allows astronomers to see behind clouds of dust in the nebula to unveil where the newborn stars are clustered.

Quantum mechanics explains efficiency of photosynthesis Posted: 09 Jan 2014 06:20 AM PST Light-gathering macromolecules in plant cells transfer energy by taking advantage of molecular vibrations whose physical descriptions have no equivalents in classical physics, according to the first unambiguous theoretical evidence of quantum effects in photosynthesis.

Grand Theft Troll? Anonymity encourages bad behaviour in online computer games, but group discipline wins the day Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:39 PM PST Flaming. Trolling. Griefing. Cheating. Most players of massive multi-player online games, such as GTA Online, have been victims of activities like these. New research investigates the drivers and group dynamics of these kind of behaviors.

Metal ink could ease way toward flexible electronic books, displays Posted: 08 Jan 2014 08:27 AM PST Scientists are reporting the development of a novel metal ink made of small sheets of copper that can be used to write a functioning, flexible electric circuit on regular printer paper. Their report on the conductive ink could pave the way for a wide range of new bendable gadgets, such as electronic books that look and feel more like traditional paperbacks.

Laundering money -- literally -- could save billions of dollars Posted: 08 Jan 2014 08:27 AM PST A dollar bill gets around, passing from hand to hand, falling on streets and sidewalks, eventually getting so grimy that a bank machine flags it and sends it to the shredder. Rather than destroying it, scientists have developed a new way to clean paper money to prolong its life. The research could save billions and minimize the environmental impact of banknote disposal.

Researchers propose alternative way to allocate science funding Posted: 08 Jan 2014 05:10 AM PST Researchers in the United States have suggested an alternative way to allocate science funding. The method depends on a collective distribution of funding by the scientific community, requires only a fraction of the costs associated with the traditional peer review of grant proposals and, according to the authors, may yield comparable or even better results.

New algorithm can dramatically streamline solutions to the 'max flow' problem Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:26 AM PST Algorithm promises to greatly streamline solutions to the 'max flow' problem.

New holographic process uses image-stabilized X-ray camera Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:28 AM PST Scientists have developed a new X-ray holography method that will enable snap-shots of dynamic processes at highest spatial resolution.

Using Tablets, Telemedicine to Speed Stroke Treatment Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:28 AM PST A team is working with local rescue squads to diagnose stroke patients before they reach the hospital, enabling more patients to receive lifesaving treatment and have a full recovery. The goal: Connect paramedics through a secure video link with specially trained stroke neurologists and emergency medicine physicians, who can diagnose stroke patients while they're in the ambulance and enable treatment to begin as soon as patients arrive at the hospital.

Self-driving vehicles offer potential benefits, policy challenges for lawmakers Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:47 AM PST Self-driving vehicles offer the promise of significant benefits, but raise several policy challenges, including the need to update insurance liability regulations and privacy concerns.

Synthetic natural gas from excess electricity Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:45 AM PST "Power to gas" is a key concept when it comes to storing alternative energy. This process converts short-term excess electricity from photovoltaic systems and wind turbines into hydrogen. Combined with the greenhouse gas CO2, renewable hydrogen can be used to produce methane, which can be stored and distributed in the natural gas network. Researchers have now succeeded in further optimizing this process.

Computer components can be damaged by key manufacturing processes Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:44 AM PST Manufacturers of increasingly minute computer chips, transistors and other products will have to take special note of new research findings.  The implications are that a key process used to transform the properties of nanoscale materials can cause much greater damage than previously realized.

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