ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Do wearable lifestyle activity monitors really work?
• Novel capability enables first test of real turbine engine conditions
• Nanoribbon film keeps glass ice-free
• Computerized emotion detector
• First water-based nuclear battery can be used to generate electrical energy
• Scientists twist radio beams to send data: Transmissions reach speeds of 32 gigibits per second
• For electronics beyond silicon, a new contender emerges
• Reducing pesticides, adding sound vibrations and boosting harvests
• Ebola outbreak 'out of all proportion' and severity cannot be predicated, expert says
• Scottish people most sceptical on fracking, survey shows
• Bacterial communication: And so they beat on, flagella against the cantilever
• The future face of molecular electronics
• Making quantum dots glow brighter
• Neuroimaging technique identifies concussion-related brain disease in living brain
• Is the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for policing effective?
• Judging a fish by its color: For female bluefin killifish, love is a yellow mate
• Imaging identifies asymptomatic people at risk for stroke
• Replacing plastic and mineral wool insulation with wood fiber
• 219 million stars: Astronomers release most detailed catalog ever made of the visible Milky Way
• 3-D printing of rocks and fossils
• New halogenation enzyme found: Discovery to impact pharmaceutical and agricultural industries
• 'Squid skin' metamaterials project yields vivid color display
• X-rays unlock a protein's SWEET side
• Cells simply avoid chromosome confusion
• Number-crunching could lead to unethical choices, says new study
• Researchers control surface tension to manipulate liquid metals
• Web-based training can reduce campus rape, study concludes
• Elusive quantum transformations found near absolute zero
• In wake of uproar over Facebook’s emotional manipulation study, bioethics scholars say new rules are 'moral imperative'
• Novel method for working with nanotubes
• Measuring modified protein structures: New approach
• Blood-cleansing biospleen device developed for sepsis therapy
• Decoding 'sweet codes' that determine protein fates

Do wearable lifestyle activity monitors really work? Posted: 16 Sep 2014 03:22 PM PDT Wearable electronic activity monitors hold great promise in helping people to reach their wellness goals. These increasingly sophisticated devices help the wearers improve their wellness by constantly monitoring their activities and bodily responses through companion computer programs and mobile apps. Given the large market for these devices, researchers analyzed 13 of these devices to compare how the devices and their apps work to motivate the wearer.

Novel capability enables first test of real turbine engine conditions Posted: 16 Sep 2014 03:19 PM PDT Manufactures of turbine engines for airplanes, automobiles and electric generation plants could expedite the development of more durable, energy-efficient turbine blades thanks to a new partnership. The ability to operate turbine blades at higher temperatures improves efficiency and reduces energy costs.

Nanoribbon film keeps glass ice-free Posted: 16 Sep 2014 12:52 PM PDT Scientists who created a deicing film for radar domes have now refined the technology to work as a transparent coating for glass. The new work could keep glass surfaces from windshields to skyscrapers free of ice and fog while retaining their transparency to radio frequencies (RF).

Computerized emotion detector Posted: 16 Sep 2014 11:15 AM PDT Face recognition software measures various parameters in a mug shot, such as the distance between the person's eyes, the height from lip to top of their nose and various other metrics and then compares it with photos of people in the database that have been tagged with a given name. Now, new research looks to take that one step further in recognizing the emotion portrayed by a face.

First water-based nuclear battery can be used to generate electrical energy Posted: 16 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT For the first time using a water-based solution, researchers have created a long-lasting and more efficient nuclear battery that could be used for many applications such as a reliable energy source in automobiles and also in complicated applications such as space flight.

Scientists twist radio beams to send data: Transmissions reach speeds of 32 gigibits per second Posted: 16 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT Researchers twist four radio beams together to achieve high data transmission speeds. The researchers reached data transmission rates of 32 gigabits per second across 2.5 meters of free space in a basement lab. For reference, 32 gigabits per second is fast enough to transmit more than 10 hour-and-a-half-long HD movies in one second and is 30 times faster than LTE wireless.

For electronics beyond silicon, a new contender emerges Posted: 16 Sep 2014 09:37 AM PDT Using a quantum material called a correlated oxide, researchers have achieved a reversible change in electrical resistance of eight orders of magnitude, a result the researchers are calling 'colossal.' In short, they have engineered this material to perform comparably with the best silicon switches.

Reducing pesticides, adding sound vibrations and boosting harvests Posted: 16 Sep 2014 09:29 AM PDT Scientists are experimenting with sound vibrations to replace pesticides. Adapting different eco-friendly methods they are able to boost harvests and open up a new chapter in sustainable farming.

Ebola outbreak 'out of all proportion' and severity cannot be predicated, expert says Posted: 16 Sep 2014 09:29 AM PDT A mathematical model that replicates Ebola outbreaks can no longer be used to ascertain the eventual scale of the current epidemic, finds new research.

Scottish people most sceptical on fracking, survey shows Posted: 16 Sep 2014 08:20 AM PDT If Scotland votes for independence later this week, its Government could face an uphill challenge in persuading the Scottish people that fracking is necessary, research has revealed.

Bacterial communication: And so they beat on, flagella against the cantilever Posted: 16 Sep 2014 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new model to study the motion patterns of bacteria in real time and to determine how these motions relate to communication within a bacterial colony. They chemically attached colonies of E. coli bacteria to a microcantilever, coupling its motion to that of the bacteria. As the cantilever itself isn't doesn't generate any vibrations, or 'noise,' this allowed the researchers to monitor the colony's reactions to various stimuli in real time.

The future face of molecular electronics Posted: 16 Sep 2014 08:17 AM PDT The emerging field of molecular electronics could take our definition of portable to the next level, enabling the construction of tiny circuits from molecular components. In these highly efficient devices, individual molecules would take on the roles currently played by comparatively bulky wires, resistors and transistors. A team of researchers has identified a potential candidate for use in small-scale electronics: a molecule called picene.

Making quantum dots glow brighter Posted: 16 Sep 2014 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have found a new way to control the properties of quantum dots, those tiny chunks of semiconductor material that glow different colors depending on their size. Quantum dots, which are so small they start to exhibit atom-like quantum properties, have a wide range of potential applications, from sensors, light-emitting diodes, and solar cells, to fluorescent tags for biomedical imaging and qubits in quantum computing.

Neuroimaging technique identifies concussion-related brain disease in living brain Posted: 16 Sep 2014 07:22 AM PDT An experimental positron emission tomography (PET) tracer is effective in diagnosing concussion-related brain disease while a person is still alive. A new study suggests that an experimental radiolabeled compound, which is designed to latch onto a protein called tau that accumulates in the brain with repetitive blows to the head, can be registered on a PET scanner to effectively diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Is the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for policing effective? Posted: 16 Sep 2014 07:20 AM PDT Police agencies are using Geographic Information Systems for mapping crime, identifying crime 'hot spots,' assigning officers, and profiling offenders, but little research has been done about the effectiveness of the technology in curbing crime, according to a study.

Judging a fish by its color: For female bluefin killifish, love is a yellow mate Posted: 16 Sep 2014 07:19 AM PDT Researchers used male replicas of bluefin killifish and controlled their movement with robotic arms to improve repeatability in experiments designed to determine how fertile female fish would respond to male courtship. The surprising result: The females preferred males with yellow fins, contrary to existing research that indicated a preference to blue and red.

Imaging identifies asymptomatic people at risk for stroke Posted: 16 Sep 2014 05:49 AM PDT Imaging can be a cost-effective way to identify people at risk for stroke who might benefit from aggressive intervention, according to a new modeling study. The study looked at people with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis, a narrowing of the major blood vessels supplying blood to the head due to atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup. Carotid artery stenosis is the primary cause of up to 20 percent of ischemic strokes, which result from an obstruction within a blood vessel and make up 85 percent of all strokes.

Replacing plastic and mineral wool insulation with wood fiber Posted: 16 Sep 2014 05:48 AM PDT Researchers are developing wood fiber-based insulation materials and sprayable insulation foams with enhanced product features. The new materials will enable mass production of high-quality insulation products, which will replace products made of non-renewable or poorly recyclable raw materials. Use of wood-based material will lower energy consumption at the production stage, as well as reducing the products' carbon footprint.

219 million stars: Astronomers release most detailed catalog ever made of the visible Milky Way Posted: 16 Sep 2014 05:48 AM PDT A new catalog of the visible part of the northern part of our home Galaxy, the Milky Way, includes no fewer than 219 million stars. From dark sky sites on Earth, the Milky Way appears as a glowing band stretching across the sky. To astronomers, it is the disk of our own galaxy, a system stretching across 100,000 light-years, seen edge-on from our vantage point orbiting the Sun. The disk contains the majority of the stars in the galaxy, including the Sun, and the densest concentrations of dust and gas.

3-D printing of rocks and fossils Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:28 PM PDT Geologists are using 3-D printing to study the pores within limestone reservoir rocks. A better understanding of the pore networks within the rocks could help industry get at more oil.

New halogenation enzyme found: Discovery to impact pharmaceutical and agricultural industries Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:52 PM PDT One of the Holy Grails in chemical science has been to find the late-stage, site-specific incorporation of a halogen atom into a complex natural product by replacing an sp³ C-H bond -- one of the most inert chemical bonds known in an organic compound -- with a C-X bond, X=halogen.

'Squid skin' metamaterials project yields vivid color display Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:52 PM PDT The quest to create artificial 'squid skin' -- camouflaging metamaterials that can 'see' colors and automatically blend into the background -- is one step closer to reality, thanks to a breakthrough color-display technology just unveiled.

X-rays unlock a protein's SWEET side Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:49 PM PDT Understanding just how sugar makes its way into the cell could lead to the design of better drugs for diabetes patients and an increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables farmers are able to grow. Researchers have recently uncovered one of these "pathways" into the cell by piecing together proteins slightly wider than the diameter of a strand of spider silk.

Cells simply avoid chromosome confusion Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:41 PM PDT Reproductive cell division has evolved a simple, mechanical solution to avoid chromosome sorting errors. This natural safeguard prevents incorrect chromosome counts and misalignments that lead to infertility, miscarriage, or congenital conditions, researchers report.

Number-crunching could lead to unethical choices, says new study Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:39 PM PDT Calculating the pros and cons of a potential decision is a way of decision-making. But repeated engagement with numbers-focused calculations, especially those involving money, can have unintended negative consequences.

Researchers control surface tension to manipulate liquid metals Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:39 PM PDT Researchers have developed a technique for controlling the surface tension of liquid metals by applying very low voltages, opening the door to a new generation of reconfigurable electronic circuits, antennas and other technologies.

Web-based training can reduce campus rape, study concludes Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:36 PM PDT Web-based training targeted at college-aged men is an effective tool for reducing the number of sexual assaults on U.S. campuses, according to a researcher. The RealConsent program reduced sexually violent behavior and increased the likelihood a male student would intervene to prevent a sexual assault, said one author.

Elusive quantum transformations found near absolute zero Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:36 PM PDT To isolate quantum fluctuations that define the properties of a metallic material, scientists probed it at temperatures colder than interstellar space. The research provides new methods to identify and understand promising new materials, including superconductors.

In wake of uproar over Facebook’s emotional manipulation study, bioethics scholars say new rules are 'moral imperative' Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:09 AM PDT Using the recent debate over the Facebook-Cornell "emotional contagion" study as a starting point, an international team of research ethics scholars begin mapping the ethics terrain of large-scale social computing research in a new article.

Novel method for working with nanotubes Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:29 AM PDT Researchers have developed a novel method for controllably constructing precise inter-nanotube junctions and a variety of nanocarbon structures in carbon nanotube arrays. The researchers were able to tailor the physical properties of nanotube networks for use in applications from electronic devices to carbon nanotube-reinforced composite materials found in cars and sports equipment.

Measuring modified protein structures: New approach Posted: 14 Sep 2014 01:03 PM PDT A new approach has been developed to measure proteins with structures that change. This could enable new diagnostic tools for the early recognition of neurodegenerative diseases to be developed.

Blood-cleansing biospleen device developed for sepsis therapy Posted: 14 Sep 2014 12:07 PM PDT Things can go downhill fast when a patient has sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which bacteria or fungi multiply in a patient's blood -- often too fast for antibiotics to help. A new device inspired by the human spleen may radically transform the way doctors treat sepsis.

Decoding 'sweet codes' that determine protein fates Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:14 AM PDT A methodology has been developed to quantitatively describe the dynamic behaviors of complicated sugar chains in solution at atomic resolution by combining a sophisticated NMR spectroscopic approach with an ingenious molecular dynamics simulation technique.

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