Eurekalert July 24, 2019 Researchers at Stanford University designed arrays of ultra-thin silicon disks that work in pairs to trap the light and enhance its spiraling motion until it finds its way out. This results in high transmission in the forward direction. When illuminated in the backwards direction, the acoustic vibrations spin in the opposite direction and help cancel out any light trying to exit. Theoretically, there is no limit to how small this system could be. According to the researchers efficient photonic diodes is paramount to enabling next-generation computing, communication and even energy conversion technologies. The increased speed and […]
Ebola Outbreak in Congo Has Just Been Declared an “Emergency of International Concern”
Science Alert July 18, 2019 The last time the global health body declared an international emergency for Ebola was during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people. Ebola began spreading in Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu province last summer and has infected more than 2,500 and killed nearly 1,700, according to official Health Ministry figures. The decision was made by a committee of 10 scientists who had three times earlier declined to issue the declaration for the current outbreak. The WHO and other public health organizations have been tracing giant webs of people who have come […]
Emotion-detection applications built on outdated science, report warns
Science Daily July 18, 2019 The general public and some scientists believe that there are unique facial expressions that reliably indicate six emotion categories: anger, sadness, happiness, disgust, fear, and surprise. But in reviewing more than 1,000 published findings about facial movements and emotions, a team of researchers in the US (Northeastern University, Mass General Hospital, Caltech, the Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin) found that typical study designs don’t capture the real-life differences in the way people convey and interpret emotions on faces. They propose a new model for studying emotion-related responses in all their complexity and variations. This […]
Free dataset archive helps researchers quickly find a needle in a haystack
EurekAlert July 17, 2019 Researchers at UC Riverside have developed UCR Spatio-temporal Active Repository (UCRSTAR) , a free data repository to provide easy access to large spatio-temporal datasets through an interactive exploratory interface. It contains 102 datasets and 5 billion records. The datasets were mapped using Da Vinci. The map interface visualizes the data, provides an interactive exploratory interface for the dataset. Once a dataset is selected, important details are displayed such as the original homepage, a link to the original download source, size in bytes, number of records, file format, and other useful information. The subset download feature allows […]
The Nation Faces Long-Standing Challenges Related to Defending Against Biological Threats
GAO June 26, 2019 GAO reviewed biodefense reports, relevant presidential directives, laws, regulations, policies, strategic plans; surveyed states; and interviewed federal, state, and industry officials, among others. GAO’s past work has identified a number of challenges related to the nation’s ability to detect and respond to biological events that transcend what any one federal department or agency can address on its own. In September 2018, the White House issued the National Biodefense Strategy and associated plans, which could help to address some of the ongoing challenges GAO has previously identified. However, because implementation of the strategy is in early stages, […]
New low-cost thermoelectric material works at room temperature
Science Daily July 22, 1019 The widespread adoption of thermoelectric devices that can directly convert electricity into thermal energy for cooling and heating has been hindered by the lack of materials that are both inexpensive and highly efficient at room temperature. A team of researchers in the US (University of Houston, MIT) has created an n-type material comprised of magnesium and bismuth. To produce a thermoelectric module using the new material, they combined it with a p-type version of the traditional bismuth-tellurium alloy. This allowed them to use just half as much tellurium as most current modules. The n-type Mg3Bi2-based […]
New nanoantennas to improve ultra-fast wireless connections
Phys.org July 22, 2019 Typically used plasmonic wires introduce prohibitive losses, perform poorly for long-reach interconnects because of low-directive radiation and low efficiency. Researchers in Spain have designed a class of slot-waveguide-based silicon nanoantennas that address these limitations. To test the performance of these antennae, an on-chip plasmonic-dielectric interconnect was experimentally demonstrated over distances as high as 100 μm. The wireless scheme clearly outperformed previous plasmonic approaches in terms of link efficiency and effective gain. This work paves the way for the development of ultrafast on-chip wireless reconfigurable and flexible interconnects and opens new avenues in optical manipulation and sensing […]
New safer, inexpensive way to propel small satellites
EurekAlert July 16, 2019 Researchers at Purdue University have created a novel micropropulsion system for nanosatellite applications that uses a liquid propellant for Lorentz-force pulsed-plasma accelerator and extended lifetime ignition system driven by nanosecond long pulses. The liquid propellant does not create the contamination risks to the subsystems that we see with current options. Overall popularity of the CubeSats is driven heavily by the great advancement in miniaturization of electronic components and sensors that allows for new kinds of space missions and measurements using a CubeSat…read more.
Russian website reportedly selling science article authorships
Phys.org July 22, 2019 Several websites are reporting the entity accused of selling authorships is International Publisher. Translations made by Science Chronicle suggest the group behind the site is selling authorships on finished articles listed in Scopus—and some listed by Web of Science. There are apparently authorship guarantees and tiered pricing. 73 of the papers are to be published in India-based journals, 54 based in Venezuela, 48 in the U.S., 33 in Russia and 28 in Pakistan—the names of the journals are not given. Retractionwatch is reporting that they have found evidence of 10,000 researchers paying to have their names […]
Scientists make fundamental discovery to creating better crops
Phys.org July 22, 2019 An international team of researchers (USA – Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, DOE Joint Genome Institute, industry, France) has discovered the complex relationship plants have with mycorrhizal fungi. When they are united, the fungi form a sheath around plant roots with remarkable benefits. The fungal structure extends far from the plant host, increasing nutrient uptake and even communicating with other plants to “warn” of spreading pathogens and pests. In return, plants feed carbon to the fungus, which encourages its growth. The discovery could lead to the development of bioenergy and food crops that can […]