by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
The breakthrough technique that allowed scientists to obtain one-of-a-kind, colorful images of the myriad connections in the brain and nervous system is about to get a significant upgrade.... Read more »
Peter Reuell. (2013) ‘Brainbow,’ version 2.0. Harvard Gazette. info:/
by Artem Kaznatcheev in Evolutionary Games Group
For over twenty-three hundred years, at least since the publication of Euclid’s Elements, the conjecture and proof of new theorems has been the sine qua non of mathematics. The method of proof is at “the heart of mathematics, the royal road to creating analytical tools and catalyzing growth” (Rav, 1999; pg 6). Proofs are not […]... Read more »
Rav, Y. (1999) Why Do We Prove Theorems?. Philosophia Mathematica, 7(1), 5-41. DOI: 10.1093/philmat/7.1.5
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Speculative fiction is the home of countless machines that fly in space, yet resemble humanoid lifeforms. Scientists are now working on the next generation of robots that will blaze a trail in space by going where humans simply can’t maneuver on their own. Like so many things in the field of space exploration, the descendents … Read More →... Read more »
Toralf Boge, & Ou Ma. (2011) Using Advanced Industrial Robotics for Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking simulation. Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 1-4. DOI: 10.1109/ICRA.2011.5980583
Wilcox, B. (1992) Robotic vehicles for planetary exploration. Applied Intelligence, 2(2), 181-193. DOI: 10.1007/BF00058762
by Carian Thus in United Academics
A team of computer scientists in Spain applied a quantum PageRank algorithm to a network with 7 webpages. They found that the quantum PageRank sometimes ordered the webpages differently in terms of importance, but averaging the quantum PageRank score over time recovered the classical ordering.... Read more »
Paparo, G., & Martin-Delgado, M. (2012) Google in a Quantum Network. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/srep00444
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
A robot can struggle to discover objects in its surroundings when it relies on computer vision alone. But by taking advantage of all of the information available to it – an object’s location, size, shape and even whether it can be lifted – a robot can continually discover and refine its understanding of objects, say researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.... Read more »
Byron Spice. (2013) More Than a Good Eye: Carnegie Mellon Robot Uses Arms, Location and More To Discover Objects. Carnegie Mellon University News. info:/
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
‘Superlattice’ structure could give a huge boost to oxygen reaction in fuel cells, increasing their power potential.
New research at MIT could dramatically improve the efficiency of fuel cells, which are considered a promising alternative to batteries for powering everything from electronic devices to cars and homes.... Read more »
David L. Chandler. (2013) Unleashing oxygen. MIT News. info:/
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
University of Utah metallurgists created a “recipe” to produce solar cell material in a microwave oven. Using this kitchen appliance, a nanocrystal semiconductor suitable for photovoltaic applications can be manufactured rapidly from cheap abundant and less toxic metals than other semiconductors.... Read more »
Sarswat, P., & Free, M. (2013) An investigation of rapidly synthesized Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals. Journal of Crystal Growth, 87-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2013.03.022
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
A little over a year ago, a research team started to develop a vital part of a Finnish invention – an electric solar wind sail for interplanetary journeys. Now, a prototype has been successfully manufactured and tested.... Read more »
Anneli Waara. (2013) One step closer to solar wind-powered spacecraft. Uppsala University. info:/
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
A combination of graphene with other similar 2D crystals will allow to significantly increase the efficiency of solar cells and create the next generation of optoelectronic devices, scientists have revealed.... Read more »
Britnell, L., Ribeiro, R., Eckmann, A., Jalil, R., Belle, B., Mishchenko, A., Kim, Y., Gorbachev, R., Georgiou, T., Morozov, S.... (2013) Strong Light-Matter Interactions in Heterostructures of Atomically Thin Films. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1235547
by Artem Kaznatcheev in Evolutionary Games Group
Last week, my father sent me a link to the 100 top-ranked specialties in the sciences and social sciences. The Web of Knowledge report considered 10 broad areas[1] of natural and social science, and for each one listed 10 research fronts that they consider as the key fields to watch in 2013 and are “hot [...]... Read more »
Rendell L, Boyd R, Cownden D, Enquist M, Eriksson K, Feldman MW, Fogarty L, Ghirlanda S, Lillicrap T, & Laland KN. (2010) Why copy others? Insights from the social learning strategies tournament. Science, 328(5975), 208-213. PMID: 20378813
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
Scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have developed a relatively cheap, long-life “flow” battery that can be used to mitigate power fluctuations from solar and wind energy plants, therefore enabling them to become major suppliers to the electrical grid.... Read more »
Yang, Y., Zheng, G., & Cui, Y. (2013) A membrane-free lithium/polysulfide semi-liquid battery for large-scale energy storage. Energy , 6(5), 1552. DOI: 10.1039/C3EE00072A
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
It took them more than 10 years, but Harvard engineers and scientists developed a tiny, bee-size robot that can fly on command. ... Read more »
Ma, K., Chirarattananon, P., Fuller, S., & Wood, R. (2013) Controlled Flight of a Biologically Inspired, Insect-Scale Robot. Science, 340(6132), 603-607. DOI: 10.1126/science.1231806
by Know Your Images in Know Your Images
When we hear the word microwave, we immediately think about the heating device we have in our kitchen. But the word microwave just means waves with wavelengths from ranging from 1 meter to 1 millimeter (corresponding frequencies are 300MHz to 300 GHz). Microwave technology has been used in several engineering fields, and biomedical engineering is no exception. Microwave technology is used in the Radio Frequency components for MRI, but it also can be used as an imaging modality of its own. Microw........ Read more »
Fear, E., Meaney, P., & Stuchly, M. (2003) Microwaves for breast cancer detection?. IEEE Potentials, 22(1), 12-18. DOI: 10.1109/MP.2003.1180933
Nikolova, N. (2011) Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer. IEEE Microwave Magazine, 12(7), 78-94. DOI: 10.1109/MMM.2011.942702
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
In 2012, more than 3 million people had stents inserted in their coronary arteries. These tiny mesh tubes prop open blood vessels healing from procedures like a balloon angioplasty, which widens arteries blocked by clots or plaque deposits. After about six months, most damaged arteries are healed and stay open on their own. The stent, however, is there for a lifetime.... Read more »
Marcia Goodrich. (2013) Zinc: The Perfect Material for Bioabsorbable Stents?. Michigan Tech News. info:/
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
Scientists from the Chalmers University of Technology have created an integrated motor drive and a new battery charger for plug-in vehicles.... Read more »
Haghbin, S., Khan, K., Zhao, S., Alakula, M., Lundmark, S., & Carlson, O. (2013) An Integrated 20-kW Motor Drive and Isolated Battery Charger for Plug-In Vehicles. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 28(8), 4013-4029. DOI: 10.1109/TPEL.2012.2230274
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
An interdisciplinary team of researchers has created the first digital cameras with designs that mimic those of ocular systems found in dragonflies, bees, praying mantises and other insects. This class of technology offers exceptionally wide-angle fields of view, with low aberrations, high acuity to motion, and nearly infinite depth of field.... Read more »
Rick Kubetz. (2013) Bug’s view inspires new digital camera’s unique imaging capabilities. University of Illinois. info:/
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
University of Florida researchers have developed a “DNA nanotrain” that fast-tracks its payload of cancer-fighting drugs and bioimaging agents to tumor cells deep within the body. The nanotrain’s ability to cost-effectively deliver high doses of drugs to precisely targeted cancers and other medical maladies without leaving behind toxic nano-clutter has been the elusive Holy Grail for scientists studying the teeny-tiny world of DNA nanotechnology.... Read more »
Lindy McCollum-Brounley. (2013) UF researchers develop ‘nanotrain’ for targeted cancer drug transport. University of Florida News. info:/
by Know Your Images in Know Your Images
Pauline Lariviere was an artist whose main contributions were made to the field of medical illustration. As a scientist in the medical field, medical illustrations are essential to education. I have already spent some hours drawing something in the computer for a paper or presentation. In old times, all illustrations were done by hand, but nowadays computers play an important role and medical images are often used as a basis to medical illustrations. Here is an example of a medical illustration ........ Read more »
Tsafrir, J., & Ohry, A. (2001) Medical illustration: from caves to cyberspace‡. Health Information , 18(2), 99-109. DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-1842.2001.d01-16.x
Corl, F., Garland, M., & Fishman, E. (2000) Role of Computer Technology in Medical Illustration. American Journal of Roentgenology, 175(6), 1519-1524. DOI: 10.2214/ajr.175.6.1751519
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
It’s been taken for granted since Darwin; species evolve through competition with each other for scarce resources. Then, the “more fit” adaptations can reproduce and propel the evolutionary process that much further.... Read more »
Lehman, J., & Stanley, K. (2013) Evolvability Is Inevitable: Increasing Evolvability without the Pressure to Adapt. PLoS ONE, 8(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062186
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
A team of bioengineers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is the first to report creating artificial heart tissue that closely mimics the functions of natural heart tissue through the use of human-based materials. Their work will advance how clinicians treat the damaging effects caused by heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.... Read more »
BWH Media Relations. (2013) Patterned Hearts . Brigham and Women's Hospital. info:/
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