ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Microscopy reveals how atom-high steps impede oxidation of metal surfaces
• New half-light half-matter quantum particles created
• A qubit candidate shines brighter
• American cities are many times brighter at night than German counterparts
• What you tweet when you go party can be useful for improving urban planning
• Live adaptation of organ models in the OR
• Text messaging reminders increase second dose influenza vaccinations in children
• Researchers create method that recovers high value metals for industries while protecting the environment
• Optogenetics captures neuronal transmission in live mammalian brain
• Development of software that 'predicts' sudden cardiac death
• Young entrepreneurs innovate in green energy with an in situ organic waste digester
• Acoustic tweezers manipulate cell-to-cell contact

Microscopy reveals how atom-high steps impede oxidation of metal surfaces Posted: 29 Dec 2014 12:22 PM PST Certain features of metal surfaces can stop the process of oxidation in its tracks, new research has found. The findings could be relevant to understanding and perhaps controlling oxidation in a wide range of materials—from catalysts to the superalloys used in jet engine turbines and the oxides in microelectronics.

New half-light half-matter quantum particles created Posted: 29 Dec 2014 11:14 AM PST Prospects of developing computing and communication technologies based on quantum properties of light and matter may have taken a major step forward thanks to new research.

A qubit candidate shines brighter Posted: 29 Dec 2014 09:26 AM PST Scientists taken a major step forward in effectively enhancing the fluorescent light emission of diamond nitrogen vacancy centers -- a key step to using the atom-sized defects in future quantum computers. The technique hinges on the very precise positioning of NV centers within a structure called a photonic cavity that can boost the light signal from the defect.

American cities are many times brighter at night than German counterparts Posted: 29 Dec 2014 05:17 AM PST German cities emit several times less light per capita than comparably sized American cities, according to recent research. The size of the gap grew with city size, as light per capita increased with city size in the USA but decreased with city size in Germany. The study also examined regional differences, and surprisingly found that light emission per capita was higher in cities in the former East of Germany than from those in the former West.

What you tweet when you go party can be useful for improving urban planning Posted: 29 Dec 2014 05:17 AM PST Millions of Twitter users are constantly reporting where they are and what they are doing. With this information, two Spanish computer science experts suggest using geolocalized tweets for urban planning and land use. They have already done it in Manhattan, Madrid and London and have been able to identify, for example, nightlife areas of these large cities. Every day millions of citizens around the world generate massive amounts of geolocalized content using mobile applications and social networks. Especially on Twitter, which could become a sensor of interactions between people and their environment and provide guidelines for planning life in the city.. A forgotten issue in urbanism is land use during the night time, with problems such as noise and dirt, which could be improved with this type of tool.

Live adaptation of organ models in the OR Posted: 29 Dec 2014 05:17 AM PST During minimally invasive operations, a surgeon has to trust the information displayed on the screen: A virtual 3D model of the respective organ shows where a tumor is located and where sensitive vessels can be found. Soft tissue, such as the tissue of the liver, however, deforms during breathing or when the scalpel is applied. Endoscopic cameras record in real time how the surface deforms, but do not show the deformation of deeper structures such as tumors. Young scientists have now developed a real-time capable computation method to adapt the virtual organ to the deformed surface profile.

Text messaging reminders increase second dose influenza vaccinations in children Posted: 29 Dec 2014 05:16 AM PST Researchers studied the impact of text message reminders for the second dose of influenza vaccine required for many young children to protect them against the virus. The findings showed that sending the reminders increased receipt of the second dose of the vaccine and brought children in sooner to be vaccinated. When educational information on the importance of the second dose of influenza vaccine was embedded into the text messages there was an even greater effect.

Researchers create method that recovers high value metals for industries while protecting the environment Posted: 27 Dec 2014 06:13 AM PST Researchers have developed an extraction column which recovers metals companies use in their production processes; and thus cuts environmental pollution and lessen economic losses.

Optogenetics captures neuronal transmission in live mammalian brain Posted: 25 Dec 2014 11:35 AM PST Scientists have used a cutting-edge method to stimulate neurons with light. They have successfully recorded synaptic transmission between neurons in a live animal for the first time.

Development of software that 'predicts' sudden cardiac death Posted: 24 Dec 2014 07:30 AM PST At Galway Hospital, in Ireland, a device is currently used to "predict" cardiac events in people at risk of sudden cardiac death. This technology was developed by a Mexican, and the city's University patented it looking to sell it to specialized companies.

Young entrepreneurs innovate in green energy with an in situ organic waste digester Posted: 24 Dec 2014 07:30 AM PST Young entrepreneurs have developed a bio-digestion plant capable of generating electricity from organic waste in the market of the Nopal Collection Center in Mexico City.

Acoustic tweezers manipulate cell-to-cell contact Posted: 22 Dec 2014 01:55 PM PST Sound waves can precisely position groups of cells for study without the danger of changing or damaging the cells, according to a team of researchers who are using surface acoustic waves to manipulate cell spacing and contact.

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