ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Imaging dynamics of small biomolecules inside live cells
• Newly discovered catalyst could lead to the low-cost production of clean methanol from carbon dioxide
• Optical nano-tweezers control nano-objects: Trap and move individual nano-object in three dimensions using only light
• In first moments of infection, a division and a decision
• Promising results with local hyperthermia of tumors
• Robotic-assisted prostate surgery offers better cancer control
• Computer engineer patents quantum computing device
• Physicists solve 20-year-old debate surrounding glassy surfaces
• Reverse logistics not as easy as it sounds: Why companies have difficulties in implementing recycling, refurbishing major items
• iphone photography: Revolution or passing phase?
• Ease and security of password protections improved
• Brain research tracks internet safety performance, dispels assumptions, identifies traits of those at-risk
• New device for treating atrial fibrillation
• How dogs detect explosives, offers new training recommendations
• Mouse brain atlas maps neural networks to reveal how brain regions interact
• Working on thinning ice: Custom-designed radar measures Antarctic ice with millimeter accuracy
• Can non-invasive electrical stimulation of brain help patients regain state of consciousness after coma?

Imaging dynamics of small biomolecules inside live cells Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST A significant step has been made toward visualizing small biomolecules inside living biological systems with minimum disturbance, a longstanding goal in the scientific community. In a study, a research team describes its development of a general method to image a broad spectrum of small biomolecules, such as small molecular drugs and nucleic acids, amino acids, lipids for determining where they are localized and how they function inside cells.

Newly discovered catalyst could lead to the low-cost production of clean methanol from carbon dioxide Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST Scientists have discovered a potentially clean, low-cost way to convert carbon dioxide into methanol, a key ingredient in the production of plastics, adhesives and solvents, and a promising fuel for transportation. Scientists combined theory and experimentation to identify a new nickel-gallium catalyst that converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methanol with fewer side-products than the conventional catalyst.

Optical nano-tweezers control nano-objects: Trap and move individual nano-object in three dimensions using only light Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST Researchers have invented nano-optical tweezers capable of trapping and moving an individual nano-object in three dimensions using only the force of light. Using this approach, they have demonstrated trapping and 3-D displacement of specimens as small as a few tens of nanometers using an extremely small, non-invasive laser intensity.

In first moments of infection, a division and a decision Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:35 AM PST Using technologies and computational modeling that trace the destiny of single cells, researchers describe for the first time the earliest stages of fate determination among white blood cells called T lymphocytes, providing new insights that may help drug developers create more effective, longer-lasting vaccines against microbial pathogens or cancer.

Promising results with local hyperthermia of tumors Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:05 PM PST Combined use of iron oxide nanoparticles and an alternating magnetic field can induce local hyperthermia in tumors in a controlled and uniform manner. The results Induced anti-tumor immune response that reduced the risk of recurrence and metastasis. Standard cancer care involves surgery, but surgeons have few tools to guarantee the removal of every cancer cell, especially when there is unrecognized metastases in other anatomic locations. An approach like local hyperthermia one day might be used to kick start the immune system to ward off any cancer cells not removed by surgery to increase the chances of treatment success.

Robotic-assisted prostate surgery offers better cancer control Posted: 28 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST An observational study has found that prostate cancer patients who undergo robotic-assisted prostate surgery have fewer instances of cancer cells at the edge of their surgical specimen and less need for additional cancer treatments like hormone or radiation therapy than patients who have traditional "open" surgery. While the robotic surgery method has higher upfront costs, these may systemically be offset by a reduction of additional cancer therapy costs after surgery due to better cancer control outcomes.

Computer engineer patents quantum computing device Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:58 PM PST While widespread quantum computing may still be 15 years away, a computer engineering has patented a quantum processor capable of parallel computing that uses no transistors.

Physicists solve 20-year-old debate surrounding glassy surfaces Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:13 AM PST Physicists have succeeded in measuring how the surfaces of glassy materials flow like a liquid, even when they should be solid. A series of simple and elegant experiments were the solution to a problem that has been plaguing condensed matter physicists for the past 20 years.

Reverse logistics not as easy as it sounds: Why companies have difficulties in implementing recycling, refurbishing major items Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:12 AM PST There are several good reasons why a company might practice reverse logistics - the process of retrieving broken, worn out or obsolete items for recycling or refurbishment. These include improved public image wherein customers recognize the benefits of buying from an environmentally responsible company, improved environmental record and improved resource usage. However, there are several obstacles that lie between a world in which consumers dispose of their own goods and companies as a matter of ethical and economic obligations invoke a reverse logistics system.

iphone photography: Revolution or passing phase? Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:12 AM PST Photography has morphed with each technological advance, becoming, simpler, more spontaneous and more accessible.  A new article explores the effect of the iphone on photography, the technological 'mash-up' with the internet and omnipresent social connectivity.

Ease and security of password protections improved Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST A new article proposes and tests four two-factor schemes that require servers to store a randomized hash of the passwords and a second device, such as the user's security token or smartphone, to store a corresponding secret code.

Brain research tracks internet safety performance, dispels assumptions, identifies traits of those at-risk Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST Researchers used a novel methodology to gain new neurological insights into how users face security questions and how their personalities might affect their performance.

New device for treating atrial fibrillation Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:38 PM PST A new high-tech catheter device can improve outcomes of patients treated for atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular heartbeat. The treatment, called catheter ablation, involves burning selected spots of tissue inside the heart with the tip of a catheter. This eliminates the sources of errant electrical signals that are triggering the atrial fibrillation. More than 2 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, also known as a-fib. There are about 160,000 new cases each year. The number is increasing due in part to the aging population and the obesity epidemic.

How dogs detect explosives, offers new training recommendations Posted: 27 Feb 2014 10:48 AM PST Researchers have helped determine the science behind how canines locate explosives such as Composition C-4 (a plastic explosive used by the US military). The study found the dogs react best to the actual explosive, calling into question the use of products designed to mimic the odor of C-4 for training purposes.

Mouse brain atlas maps neural networks to reveal how brain regions interact Posted: 27 Feb 2014 09:52 AM PST Different brain regions must communicate with each other to control complex thoughts and behaviors, but little is known about how these areas organize into broad neuronal networks. In a new study, researchers developed a mouse whole-brain atlas that reveals hundreds of neuronal pathways in a brain structure called the cerebral cortex. The online database provides an invaluable resource for researchers interested in studying the anatomy and function of cortical networks throughout the brain.

Working on thinning ice: Custom-designed radar measures Antarctic ice with millimeter accuracy Posted: 27 Feb 2014 06:14 AM PST A series of radars just deployed on Antarctica will give researchers their first ever day-by-day measurements of the health of one of the ice shelves that surround the frozen continent. The ice shelves around Antarctica can be up to 2 kilometres thick, but preliminary trials show the new radar system can detect changes of as little as a millimetre -- about the amount the Pine Island Glacier melts in just 30 minutes.

Can non-invasive electrical stimulation of brain help patients regain state of consciousness after coma? Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:51 PM PST Researchers have shown that transcranial direct-current stimulation allows patients in a minimally conscious state to recover cognitive and motor skills. This simple, safe and relatively low-cost technique could offer clinicians a new way to help these patients recover, even several years after their coma. However, the positive effects appear to be temporary at this stage of research.

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