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|  | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #15 on Nov 1, 2011, 5:04pm » | |
1 November 2011 Last updated at 10:42 GMT
Nasa examines 'tractor beams' for sample gathering
![[image]](http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7351/56401545researchlasersp.jpg "[image]")
The "tractor beam" approaches depend on precise shaping of the intensities of laser beams
US space agency Nasa has funded a study of "tractor beams" to gather samples for analysis in future missions.
The $100,000 (£63,000) award will be used to examine three laser-based approaches to do what has until now been the stuff of science fiction.
Several tractor-beam ideas have been published in the scientific literature but none has yet been put to use.
Nasa scientist Paul Stysley says the approach could "enhance science goals and reduce mission risk".
"Though a mainstay in science fiction, and Star Trek in particular, laser-based trapping isn't fanciful or beyond current technological know-how," said Dr Stysley of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center, whose group was awarded the research funding.
High-beam profile
The team has identified three possible options to capture and gather up sample material either in future orbiting spacecraft or on planetary rovers.
![[image]](http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/4979/56401692564016914771775.jpg "[image]")
Mars rover image with "tractor beams" - The approach could be put to use in space and on planetary surfaces
One is an adaptation of a well-known effect called "optical tweezers" in which objects can be trapped in the focus of one or two laser beams. However, this version of the approach would require an atmosphere in which to operate.
The other two methods rely on specially shaped laser beams - instead of a beam whose intensity peaks at its centre and tails off gradually, the team is investigating two alternatives: solenoid beams and Bessel beams.
The intensity peaks within a solenoid beam are found in a spiral around the line of the beam itself, while a Bessel beam's intensity rises and falls in peaks and troughs at higher distances from the beam's line.
Solenoid beams have already proven their "tractor beam" abilities in laboratory tests published in the journal Optics Express, but the pulling power of Bessel beams, presented on the preprint server Arxiv in February, remains to be proved experimentally.
In all three cases, explained Dr Stysley, the effect is a small one - but it could in some instances outperform existing methods of sample gathering.
"[Current] techniques have proven to be largely successful, but they are limited by high costs and limited range and sample rate," he said.
"An optical-trapping system, on the other hand, could grab desired molecules from the upper atmosphere on an orbiting spacecraft or trap them from the ground or lower atmosphere from a lander.
"In other words, they could continuously and remotely capture particles over a longer period of time, which would enhance science goals and reduce mission risk."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15535115
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #16 on Nov 2, 2011, 10:20pm » | |
Transporting Salmon Without Infections or Lice
![[image]](http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/6379/111101095113large024942.jpg "[image]")
The researchers have developed the concept in cooperation with industry participants. (Credit: Image courtesy of SINTEF)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 1, 2011) — For the past three years, scientists, engineers and operators in the farming industry have been developing the well-boat technology of the future. Here are some of the results.
In the future, aquaculture will have adapt to stringent standards of hygiene and infection control, say researchers, so they have developed a well-boat concept packed with technology that will lead to more environmentally friendly operation and better-quality fish.
Well-boats are used to transport live fish in modern fish-farming, both out to the sea-cages and from the cages to the slaughterhouse. The problem is that at present, these boats release water from thetanks that the fish swim inas the are being carried. This means that diseases and parasites such as lice can be spread with the water, explains researcher Mats A Heide.
Heide is a research scientist at SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture -- and the man who designed the technology-heavy innovation.
Cooperation with industry participants
The researchers developed the concept in cooperation with industry participants in the course of the project "Development of the future well-boat technology," supported by the Research Council of Norway
Early in the project it became clear that it would be essential to improve hygiene and control of infection compared to current boats. In order to obtain inspiration for good hygiene solutions the researchers visited Tine Dairies, and other requirements for food production hygiene provided guidelines for their design choices.
The newly developed well-boat concept is packed with innovative technology that will ensure easy cleaning and prevent releases of potentially infectious water from the wells.
High-tech hygiene
The new well-boat concept is designed around the wells or cargo tanks, and pays particular attention to hygiene-friendly design. For example, tanks have been designed with rounded corners to ensure that automatic cleaning systems reach all surfaces -- important for preventing biological material from building up.
The vessel is also equipped with a system that circulates fresh seawater within the tank. This keeps the water quality high, so that the fish do well during their journey.
Prevents spread of infection
Filter systems enable the waste-water to be cleaned before it is discharged, or the water can be recycled after treatment, which allows the boat to go for long periods without discharging water. In practice this means that fish can be carried with a much higher safety margin against the spread of infection.
Another device that will also prevent the spread of infection is a closed drainage system that can transfer fish into and out of the boat without water exchange in the well. This solution significantly reduces the risk of infection especially at slaughterhouses, although Norwegian slaughterhouses are not adapted yet to a system of operation which allows this technology to be used to the full.
"Delousing shower"
The researchers also want to give the fish special treatment: an automatic cleaning system removes the lice that are attached to the fish when they are brought on board. This "delousing shower" removes the lice and collects them without the use of chemicals.
Reduced energy consumption
Solutions have also been developed that offer more freedom in the design of the well, in turn leading to greater freedom to improve the design of hulls less resistance, which helps to reduce energy consumption
The regulatory challenge
"We believe that Norwegian regulations regarding hygiene and infection control are inadequate, while there is also a lack of knowledge about how diseases are spread. Some technology for control of infection does already exist, but we see a need for further requirements and regulations for this to be adopted.
"Current regulations primarily apply to systems and areas where outbreaks of disease have already occurred. We therefore expect that in the future, regulations will be much stricter, and believe that our well-boat concept will be a good answer to the demands that the industry will face in the future," says Heath.
The project has been a user-guided innovation project, financially supported by the Research Council of Norway, and involved collaboration between SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture, Cflow Fish Handling, Flatsetsund Engineering, the National Veterinary Institute, Rolls-Royce Marine, Silver Trans Shipowners and Marine Harvest Norway.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by SINTEF, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101095113.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #17 on Nov 2, 2011, 10:22pm » | |
Australian Technology Aims to Make Storing Radioactive Waste Safer
ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2011) — Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers have developed new technology capable of removing radioactive material from contaminated water and aiding clean-up efforts following nuclear disasters.
The innovation could also solve the problem of how to clean up millions of tonnes of water contaminated by dangerous radioactive material and safely store the concentrated waste.
Professor Huai-Yong Zhu from QUT Chemistry said the world-first intelligent absorbent, which uses titanate nanofibre and nanotube technology, differed from current clean-up methods, such as layered clays and zeolites, because it could efficiently lock in deadly radioactive material from contaminated water.
The used absorbents can then be safely disposed without the risk of leakage, even if the material became wet.
"One gram of the nanofibres can effectively purify at least one tonne of polluted water," Professor Zhu said.
"This saves large amounts of dangerous water needing to be stored somewhere and also prevents the risk of contaminated products leaking into the soil."
The technology, which was developed in collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and Pennsylvania State University in America, works by running the contaminated water through the fine nanotubes and fibres, which trap the radioactive Cesium (Cs+) ions through a structural change.
"Every year we hear of at least one nuclear accident. Not only is there a risk of contamination where human error is concerned, but there is also a risk from natural disasters such as what we saw in Japan this year," he said.
Professor Zhu and his research team believed the technology would also benefit industries as diverse as mining and medicine.
By adding silver oxide nanocrystals to the outer surface, the nanostructures are able to capture and immobilise radioactive iodine (I-) ions used in treatments for thyroid cancer, in probes and markers for medical diagnosis, as well as found in leaks of nuclear accidents.
"It is our view that just taking the radioactive material in the adsorbents isn't good enough. We should make it safe before disposing it," he said.
"The same goes for Australian sites where we mine nuclear products. We need a solution before we have a problem, rather than looking for fixes when it could be too late."
With a growing need to find alternatives to meet global energy needs, Professor Zhu said now was the time to put safeguards in place.
"In France, 75 per cent of electricity is produced by nuclear power and in Belgium, which has a population of 10 million people there are six nuclear power stations," he said.
"Even if we decide that nuclear energy is not the way we want to go, we will still need to clean-up what's been produced so far and store it safely," he said.
"Australia is one of the largest producers of titania that are the raw materials used for fabricating the absorbents of titanate nanofibres and nanotubes. Now with the knowledge to produce the adsorbents, we have the technology to do the cleaning up for the world."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Queensland University of Technology.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102093051.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #18 on Nov 2, 2011, 10:24pm » | |
Thousand-Color Sensor Reveals Contaminants in Earth and Sea: Technology Spots Environmental Hazards from Inches to Light-Years Away
ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2011) — The world may seem painted with endless color, but physiologically the human eye sees only three bands of light -- red, green, and blue. Now a Tel Aviv University-developed technology is using colors invisible to the naked eye to analyze the world we live in. With the ability to detect more than 1,000 colors, the "hyperspectral" (HSR) camera, like Mr. Spock's sci-fi "Tricorder," is being used to "diagnose" contaminants and other environmental hazards in real time.
Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor of TAU's Department of Geography and the Human Environment says that reading this extensive spectrum of color allows the sensor to analyze 300 times more information than the human brain can process. Small and easy to use, the sensor can provide immediate, cost-effective, and accurate monitoring of forests, urban areas, agricultural lands, harbors, or marinas -- areas which are often endangered by contaminants and phenomena such as soil erosion or sediment dust. Using the hyperspectral camera will ultimately lead to better protection and treatment of the environment.
The HSR sensor, detailed in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment, has both commercial and scientific applications, says Prof. Ben-Dor, who has consulted for local and foreign space agencies in their use of the technology. These applications can include anything from helping companies adhere to regulations on environmental contamination to measuring the extent of environmental damage caused by forest fires.
From far and wide
The sensor interprets reflected sunlight radiation that bounces off an object, material, or environment. Each reflected color represents a different chemical reaction between two compounds. "A combination of absorption or reflection of energy creates the color that the HSR sensor sees," explains Prof. Ben-Dor. The sensor's extensive range -- reading information from as close as 0.4 inches and as far as 500 miles away -- means it can be placed anywhere from the ground itself to unmanned aircraft, satellites or weather balloons. The camera can also be pointed towards the stars to help astronomers gain insight into the make-up of a planet's atmosphere.
Most recently, Prof. Ben-Dor has used the technology to survey different environments, including soil and sea, seeking to identify problem areas. The area around gas pipelines is one site of environmental contamination, he says. Leaks can be particularly damaging to the surrounding earth, so the sensors can be used to test along a pipeline for water content, organic matter, and toxins alike. In agricultural areas, the sensor can be used to determine levels of salt in the soil to save crops before they are destroyed.
The technique is also effective in marinas, which are highly contaminated by gasoline and sealants from the undersides of sea vessels. "This toxic material sinks, and becomes concentrated on the sediment of the marina, which also contaminates nearby beaches," Prof. Ben-Dor explains.
The color of possibility
Before the HSR technology was developed, samples of potentially contaminated or endangered soil, sediment or water would have to be taken to the lab for lengthy analysis. With the use of a hyperspectral sensor, real-time analysis allows immediate action to better environmental conditions. The sensor can also be used to determine levels of indoor pollution caused by dust, analyze the strength of concrete being used for buildings in earthquake zones, or scan the environment around an open mine to look at the impact on human health.
According to Prof. Ben-Dor, this technology's potential is endless and can be used in disciplines such as medicine, pharmacology, textile industry, and civil engineering. Without so much as a touch, the sensor can provide in-depth analysis on environmental composition. It's a method that can map and monitor the Earth from "microscope to telescope," he says.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102125640.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #19 on Nov 10, 2011, 11:51am » | |
9 November 2011 Last updated at 18:00 GMT
Single-molecule 'electric car' taken for test drive
By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News
![[image]](http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7664/56589929image23606728.jpg "[image]")
Nano-car molecule artwork (Randy Wind/Martin Roelfs) The molecular "car" bounced along the atoms of a flat copper "road"
Scientists have shown off what can be described as the world's smallest electric car - made of a single, carefully designed molecule.
The molecule has four branches that act as wheels, rotating when a tiny metal tip applied a small current to them.
With 10 electric bursts, the car was made to move six billionths of a metre.
The approach, published in Nature, joins recent single-molecule efforts, and seems to overcome the forces that often dominate at such tiny scales.
The "batteries" of the electric car come by way of the tip of what is called a scanning tunnelling microscope - an extraordinarily fine point of metal that ends in just an atom or two. As the tip draws near the molecule, electrons jump into it.
The motor of the approach lies with the four "molecular rotors" that act as the car's wheels; they undergo a change in shape when they absorb the electrons.
The demonstration is a tour de force in what is called "bottom-up" nanotechnology. A wide array of machines has been demonstrated in recent years, incorporating parts etched to minuscule sizes from chunks of metals or semiconductors - a small version of traditional, "top-down" manufacturing.
![[image]](http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/3301/56600243nanoscalecar361.jpg "[image]")
Molecular simulation of nanoscale "car" - As the chemical groups in each "wheel" change shape, the car inches ahead
Building up from single, designed molecules is another matter, said Tibor Kudernac, a chemist now at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, and lead author of the paper.
"If you look around, in all biological systems are a vast number of molecular machines or rotors based on proteins that do important things very well; muscle contraction is based on protein motors," he explained.
"This is a simple demonstration that we can achieve anything like that. It's an important observation and I think it will motivate people to think about it perhaps a bit more from an application point of view."
Dr Kudernac concedes that applications for molecular machines like the car are probably far in the future. The first task, he said, was to make it work under normal conditions; the current work has been done at a blisteringly cold -266C and in a high vacuum.
And although each potential application will require a newly designed molecular machine, Dr Kudernac remains confident.
"There are ways to play around," he said. "That's what we chemists do - we try to design molecules for particular purposes, and I don't see any fundamental limitations."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15637867
|
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
|
Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #20 on Nov 10, 2011, 8:59pm » | |
Weird World of Water Gets a Little Weirder
![[image]](http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/2921/111109111536large661111.jpg "[image]")
Water. Scientists are reporting that H2O, when chilled below the freezing point, can shift into a new type of liquid. (Credit: © Adam Borkowski / Fotolia)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2011) — Strange, stranger, strangest! To the weird nature of one of the simplest chemical compounds -- the stuff so familiar that even non-scientists know its chemical formula -- add another odd twist. Scientists are reporting that good old H2O, when chilled below the freezing point, can shift into a new type of liquid.
The report appears in ACS' Journal of Physical Chemistry B.
Pradeep Kumar and H. Eugene Stanley explain that water is one weird substance, exhibiting more than 80 unusual properties, by one count, including some that scientists still struggle to understand. For example, water can exist in all three states of matter (solid, liquid,gas) at the same time. And the forces at its surface enable insects to walk on water and water to rise up from the roots into the leaves of trees and other plants.
In another strange turn, scientists have proposed that water can go from being one type of liquid into another in a so-called "liquid-liquid" phase transition, but it is impossible to test this with today's laboratory equipment because these things happen so fast. That's why Kumar and Stanley used computer simulations to check it out.
They found that when they chilled liquid water in their simulation, its propensity to conduct heat decreases, as expected for an ordinary liquid. But, when they lowered the temperature to about 54 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, the liquid water started to conduct heat even better in the simulation. Their studies suggest that below this temperature, liquid water undergoes sharp but continuous structural changes whereas the local structure of liquid becomes extremely ordered -- very much like ice. These structural changes in liquid water lead to increase of heat conduction at lower temperatures.
The researchers say that this surprising result supports the idea that water has a liquid-liquid phase transition.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1. Pradeep Kumar, H. Eugene Stanley. Thermal Conductivity Minimum: A New Water Anomaly. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2011; 111013123335006 DOI: 10.1021/jp2051867
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109111536.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #21 on Nov 10, 2011, 9:03pm » | |
Nano Car Has Molecular 4-Wheel Drive: Smallest Electric Car in the World
![[image]](http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/630/111110092403large681561.jpg "[image]")
Measuring approximately 4x2 nanometres the molecular car is forging ahead on a copper surface on four electrically driven wheels. (Credit: Image courtesy of Empa)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2011) — Reduced to the max: the emission-free, noiseless 4-wheel drive car, jointly developed by Empa researchers and their Dutch colleagues, represents lightweight construction at its most extreme. The nano car consists of just a single molecule and travels on four electrically-driven wheels in an almost straight line over a copper surface. The "prototype" can be admired on the cover of the latest edition of Nature.
To carry out mechanical work, one usually turns to engines, which transform chemical, thermal or electrical energy into kinetic energy in order to, say, transport goods from A to B. Nature does the same thing; in cells, so-called motor proteins -- such as kinesin and the muscle protein actin -- carry out this task. Usually they glide along other proteins, similar to a train on rails, and in the process "burn" ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the chemical fuel, so to speak, of the living world.
A number of chemists aim to use similar principles and concepts to design molecular transport machines, which could then carry out specific tasks on the nano scale. According to an article in the latest edition of science magazine "Nature," scientists at the University of Groningen and at Empa have successfully taken "a decisive step on the road to artificial nano-scale transport systems." They have synthesised a molecule from four rotating motor units, i.e. wheels, which can travel straight ahead in a controlled manner. "To do this, our car needs neither rails nor petrol; it runs on electricity. It must be the smallest electric car in the world -- and it even comes with 4-wheel drive" comments Empa researcher Karl-Heinz Ernst.
Range per tank of fuel: still room for improvement
The downside: the small car, which measures approximately 4x2 nanometres -- about one billion times smaller than a VW Golf -- needs to be refuelled with electricity after every half revolution of the wheels -- via the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). Furthermore, due to their molecular design, the wheels can only turn in one direction. "In other words: there's no reverse gear," says Ernst, who is also a professor at the University of Zurich, laconically.
According to its "construction plan" the drive of the complex organic molecule functions as follows: after sublimating it onto a copper surface and positioning an STM tip over it leaving a reasonable gap, Ernst's colleague, Manfred Parschau, applied a voltage of at least 500 mV. Now electrons should "tunnel" through the molecule, thereby triggering reversible structural changes in each of the four motor units. It begins with a cis-trans isomerisation taking place at a double bond, a kind of rearrangement -- in an extremely unfavourable position in spatial terms, though, in which large side groups fight for space. As a result, the two side groups tilt to get past each other and end up back in their energetically more favourable original position -- the wheel has completed a half turn. If all four wheels turn at the same time, the car should travel forwards. At least, according to theory based on the molecular structure.
To drive or not to drive -- a simple question of orientation
And this is what Ernst and Parschau observed: after ten STM stimulations, the molecule had moved six nanometres forwards -- in a more or less straight line. "The deviations from the predicted trajectory result from the fact that it is not at all a trivial matter to stimulate all four motor units at the same time," explains "test driver" Ernst.
Another experiment showed that the molecule really does behave as predicted. A part of the molecule can rotate freely around the central axis, a C-C single bond -- the chassis of the car, so to speak. It can therefore "land" on the copper surface in two different orientations: in the right one, in which all four wheels turn in the same direction, and in the wrong one, in which the rear axle wheels turn forwards but the front ones turn backwards -- upon excitation the car remains at a standstill. Ernst und Parschau were able to observe this, too, with the STM.
Therefore, the researchers have achieved their first objective, a "proof of concept," i.e. they have been able to demonstrate that individual molecules can absorb external electrical energy and transform it into targeted motion. The next step envisioned by Ernst and his colleagues is to develop molecules that can be driven by light, perhaps in the form of UV lasers.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Empa.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1. Tibor Kudernac, Nopporn Ruangsupapichat, Manfred Parschau, Beatriz Maciá, Nathalie Katsonis, Syuzanna R. Harutyunyan, Karl-Heinz Ernst, Ben L. Feringa. Electrically driven directional motion of a four-wheeled molecule on a metal surface. Nature, 2011; 479 (7372): 208 DOI: 10.1038/nature10587
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110092403.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
|
Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #22 on Nov 10, 2011, 9:31pm » | |
Using Light, Researchers Convert 2-D Patterns Into 3-D Objects
![[image]](http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/874/1111101258468512077.jpg "[image]")
The new technique can be used to create a variety of objects, such as cubes or pyramids, without ever having to physically touch the material. (Credit: Image courtesy of North Carolina State University)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2011) — Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a simple way to convert two-dimensional patterns into three-dimensional (3-D) objects using only light.
"This is a novel application of existing materials, and has potential for rapid, high-volume manufacturing processes or packaging applications," says Dr. Michael Dickey, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the research.
The process is remarkably simple. Researchers take a pre-stressed plastic sheet and run it through a conventional inkjet printer to print bold black lines on the material. The material is then cut into a desired pattern and placed under an infrared light, such as a heat lamp.
The bold black lines absorb more energy than the rest of the material, causing the plastic to contract -- creating a hinge that folds the sheets into 3-D shapes. This technique can be used to create a variety of objects, such as cubes or pyramids, without ever having to physically touch the material. The technique is compatible with commercial printing techniques, such as screen printing, roll-to-roll printing, and inkjet printing, that are inexpensive and high-throughput but inherently 2-D.
By varying the width of the black lines, or hinges, researchers are able to change how far each hinge folds. For example, they can create a hinge that folds 90 degrees for a cube, or a hinge that folds 120 degrees for a pyramid. The wider the hinge, the further it folds. Wider hinges also fold faster, because there is more surface area to absorb energy.
"You can also pattern the lines on either side of the material," Dickey says, "which causes the hinges to fold in different directions. This allows you to create more complex structures."
The researchers developed a computer-based model to explain how the process works. There were two key findings. First, the surface temperature of the hinge must exceed the glass transition temperature of the material, which is the point at which the material begins to soften. Second, the heat has to be localized to the hinge in order to have fast and effective folding. If all of the material is heated to the glass transition temperature, no folding will occur.
"This finding stems from work we were doing on shape memory polymers, in part to satisfy our own curiosity. As it turns out, it works incredibly well," Dickey says.
The paper, "Self-folding of polymer sheets using local light absorption," was published Nov. 10 in the journal Soft Matter, and was co-authored by Dickey; NC State Celanese Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Jan Genzer; NC State Ph.D. student Ying Liu; and NC State undergraduate Julie Boyles. The work was supported, in part, by the U.S. Department of Energy.
NC State's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is part of the university's College of Engineering.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1. Ying Liu, Julie K. Boyles, Jan Genzer, Michael D. Dickey. Self-folding of polymer sheets using local light absorption. Soft Matter, 2012; DOI: 10.1039/c1sm06564e
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110125846.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #23 on Nov 10, 2011, 9:35pm » | |
New Advances in the Study of Silicon Structure
![[image]](http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5618/1111091936448791912.jpg "[image]")
The study has revealed that the energy of amorphous silicon is 50% lower than the value commonly accepted until now. (Credit: Image courtesy of Universidad de Barcelona)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2011) — Amorphous silicon is one of the key materials in the manufacturing of next-generation solar panels and flat-screen televisions. A recent study carried out by researchers from the University of Girona, with the support of laboratories operated by the University of Barcelona and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) has revealed that the energy of amorphous silicon -- the state in which it exhibits the greatest stability -- is 50% lower than the value commonly accepted until now. According to the researchers, this information is important for understanding the structure of the material and improving its properties.
Unlike crystalline materials, in which atoms are found in ordered arrangements, amorphous solids do not have a clearly defined structure. While each atom in an ordered configuration has only a single possible position, the atoms in an amorphous structure can shift to different positions to adopt multiple arrangements with different energy levels. According to a theory published at the end of the 1980s, amorphous silicon could only exist above a minimum degree of disorder. The most ordered configuration, known as the relaxed state, gives the material greater stability and reduces the variability of its properties over time. Consequently, deposition techniques for amorphous silicon thin films are designed get as close as possible to the relaxed state.
Despite the importance of theoretical prediction, until now the energy of silicon in the relaxed state had not been experimentally determined. In the study published in the specialist journal Physica Status Solidi-Rapid Research Letters, differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure the energy of 20 samples grown by several deposition techniques. It was found that although different values were obtained for samples deposited in the same way, the minimum value coincided for all deposition techniques. This fact, together with observations based on previous studies, has led to the conclusion that the value of the minimum energy corresponds to the relaxed state. The value obtained is 50% lower than the standard figure accepted until now and is a crucial finding for specialists in amorphous silicon structure, since theoretical models will be more or less realistic depending on their proximity to this value.
Finally, the results corroborate the experimental findings up to this point, which indicate that the best films are those obtained from the vapour phase and whose structure includes hydrogen atoms.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universidad de Barcelona.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1. F. Kail, J. Farjas, P. Roura, C. Secouard, O. Nos, J. Bertomeu, P. Roca i Cabarrocas. The configurational energy gap between amorphous and crystalline silicon. Physica Status Solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letters, 2011; 5 (10-11): 361 DOI: 10.1002/pssr.201105333
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109193644.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #24 on Nov 10, 2011, 9:40pm » | |
Revolutionary Ultrasonic Nozzle That Will Change the Way Water Cleans
![[image]](http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/6757/111109230559large904093.jpg "[image]")
Prof. Leighton (left) and Dr. Birkin with their ultrasonic nozzle device. The revolutionary ultrasonic attachment for taps massively enhances the ability of water to clean. (Credit: University of Southampton)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2011) — A team of scientists from the University of Southampton have developed a revolutionary ultrasonic attachment for taps, which massively enhances the ability of water to clean.
Currently, industry uses excessive water, power and additives for cleaning. For example, it can take up to 100 tonnes of water to produce 1 tonne of clean wool after shearing. Many industrial processes also generate large quantities of contaminated run-off. The water from hosing down an abattoir represents a real health risk and cannot be allowed to enter the water supply. Purifying run-off is costly – each cubic metre of water used for cleaning in the nuclear industry can cost around £10,000 to subsequently treat.
Professor Tim Leighton and Dr Peter Birkin’s device works with cold water, minimal additives and consumes as much electrical power as a light bulb. Its application will be wide – licenses have already been sold to a number of industries to look at cleaning in food preparation, hospitals, manufacturing and the home. The new technology consumes less water and power than the established competitor technologies.
Talking about the need for such a technology, Professor Leighton says: “Society runs on its ability to clean. Ineffective cleaning leads to food poisoning; failure of manufactured products such as precision watches and microchips; and poor construction – from shipbuilding to space shuttles – since dirty surfaces do not bond. The impact in healthcare is huge – hospital-acquired infections, from instruments that aren’t properly cleaned, cost the NHS £1 billion per year. There’s a very obvious need for technologies that improve our ability to clean while saving on our most important resources, water and energy.”
In recognition of their invention, Professor Leighton and Dr Birkin were awarded the Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation 2011 on Nov. 10.
Using the £250,000 award from the Royal Society, the team will develop products based on an ultrasonic nozzle which can fit on the end of a tap or hose. The device uses less water and power than the equivalent pressure washer (approximately 2 litres/minute compared to 20 litres/minute and less than 200 W compared to 2kW). It is also far less damaging as the stream pressure is less that 1/100th that of a pressure washer. Another advantage is that it generates far less runoff and aerosol (tiny atmospheric particles of water that can carry contaminates into the air to then settle and contaminate other surfaces). As it is able to use cold water, energy is saved on heating water.
Power washing generates large volumes of contaminated run-off and aerosols, presenting a hazard when used e.g. cleaning sewage systems or nuclear contamination. One of the main pieces of equipment currently used for industrial cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning baths, can only clean objects small enough to fit in them and the devices to be cleaned sit in a soup of contaminated liquid. Neither power washing (high-power pressure washing) nor ultrasonic cleaning baths can easily be scaled up and neither can be used on delicate materials such as hands or salad.
The new nozzle generates both bubbles and ultrasound. Both travel down the water stream to the dirty surface and there the bubbles act as microscopic ‘smart scrubbers’, seeking and entering crevices to remove dirt there using shear forces in the same way that currents in a babbling brook can strip off riverbank soil . The device can be used at a high-power and a low-power setting – the latter being suitable for delicate products like hands and foodstuffs.
Licences to enable companies to bring the technology into their product lines have been negotiated with a number of companies to explore cleaning products for hospital hygiene, dentistry, food preparation, manufacturing and the power industries.
Dr Birkin says of the award: “The Brian Mercer award represents a significant milestone for the development of this technology and its possible exploitation. There is a clear gap in the funding system with ground breaking technology produced by universities, unexploited by industry. It is also difficult to find other suitable sources to take the technology further. It is in this situation that our invention found itself.
“In these trying times for innovative research, the foresight of the Royal Society to regularly sponsor and support these initiatives, should be congratulated. It is also pleasing that a significant ‘blue skies’ research effort within our team, over the last 10-15 year time period, has led to an understanding of the basic physical and chemical processes that underpin this technology. The Brian Mercer award, as well as being timely, will significantly enhance the chances of this novel technology making the leap from the lab and into wider society.”
Professor Leighton adds: “Support for step changing innovation is vital if we are to have marketable technology to address the problems that will face society on the 10-50 year timescale, rather than just responding to today’s problems.”
The Brian Mercer Awards for Innovation were established by the Royal Society in 2001 following a bequest from the late Dr Brian Mercer, an enthusiastic inventor and entrepreneur. The awards aim to encourage these qualities in the next generation of scientists and provide a grant of £250,000 to develop an already proven concept or prototype into a near-market product.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109230559.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #25 on Nov 11, 2011, 8:32pm » | |
Aerial Robot System Can Save Firefighter Lives, Study Suggests
![[image]](http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1072/1111091115301399162.jpg "[image]")
Kelly Cohen, flanked by Manish Kumar and Rob Charvat flew a robot airplane over a controlled forest fire in West Virginia to demonstrate a computerized system to get data to firefighters. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Cincinnati)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2011) — Wildfires kill and, too often, fatalities are caused by a lack of situational awareness, said Kelly Cohen. Timely information can prevent wildfire deaths, especially among first responders, said Cohen, associate professor of aerospace engineering & engineering mechanics at the University of Cincinnati.
Cohen supervises a project known as SIERRA (Surveillance for Intelligent Emergency Response Robotic Aircraft) which integrates small, unmanned aircraft with global positioning systems, environmental data, video and fire-prediction software to give real-time information about where a fire is burning, and where it is moving.
"What we are designing is a complete system," Cohen said. "It is low-cost and low-risk. That is important for this application because, while the technology is ready, firefighters are not quick to adopt new technologies. We can show that this works."
To gain the confidence of working firefighters, the graduate student who serves as SIERRA team leader, Robert Charvat, participated in firefighter training in West Virginia.
The SIERRA team tested the system in Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia, with a small, contained fire on Nov. 5, 2011, in collaboration with the West Virginia Division of Forestry. The UC team present at this test included five graduate students and three undergraduates who experienced a valuable day of learning away from the classroom and labs.
"This test was a clear demonstration of the potential for this technology to limit wild land fire damage by saving money, lives and land," Charvat said.
The SIERRA system, Cohen said, is designed to assist firefighters overcome a major handicap during a wildfire -- the inability to see the whole fire. Wildfires not only burn through rugged terrain marked by hills and valleys but, even on relatively level ground, obscure their extent by screens of smoke.
"If I am coordinating response efforts," Cohen said, "I require information to determine what resources I need, where I must deploy those resources, and where I must be ready to move. This system uses the information gathered and allocates resources."
The SIERRA system is built around a small, unmanned aerial vehicle from Marcus UAV Inc. The five-pound vehicle has a 54-inch wingspan and the ability to fly faster than 35 miles per hour to altitudes of 10,000 feet on flights lasting approximately an hour. While in the air, the vehicle can transmit video while it navigates using GPS.
"For our purposes, the vehicle flew no higher than 500 feet," Cohen said. "It was a successful demonstration of tactical unmanned aerial system technology for use in wild land fire events."
At the fire command center, the in-flight data is merged with Google Earth images, NOAA weather data and fire-prediction software to make informed and effective decisions by the incident commander.
Although the West Virginia demonstration focused on firefighting, the integrated system Cohen has developed along with Manish Kumar of UC's Cooperative Distributed Systems Lab, has applications beyond wildfire response.
"A similar decision-making need arises in many disasters," Cohen said, "including floods and earthquakes."
The system can even be modified for use for simulation based training for first responders.
"As we execute this work," Cohen said. "We are continually reviewing additional areas in which our unmanned aerial vehicle based systems and algorithms may provide a benefit. One such area is air traffic management while effectively integrating unmanned aerial vehicles into the national airspace."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Cincinnati. The original article was written by Greg Hand.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109111530.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #26 on Nov 11, 2011, 10:17pm » | |
NASA Develops Super-Black Material That Absorbs Light Across Multiple Wavelength Bands
![[image]](http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/645/111108213055large771581.jpg "[image]")
This close-up view (only about 0.03 inches wide) shows the internal structure of a carbon-nanotube coating that absorbs about 99 percent of the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and far-infrared light that strikes it. A section of the coating, which was grown on smooth silicon, was purposely removed to show the tubes' vertical alignment. (Credit: Stephanie Getty, NASA Goddard)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2011) — NASA engineers have produced a material that absorbs on average more than 99 percent of the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and far-infrared light that hits it -- a development that promises to open new frontiers in space technology.
The team of engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., reported their findings recently at the SPIE Optics and Photonics conference, the largest interdisciplinary technical meeting in this discipline. The team has since reconfirmed the material's absorption capabilities in additional testing, said John Hagopian, who is leading the effort involving 10 Goddard technologists.
"The reflectance tests showed that our team had extended by 50 times the range of the material's absorption capabilities. Though other researchers are reporting near-perfect absorption levels mainly in the ultraviolet and visible, our material is darn near perfect across multiple wavelength bands, from the ultraviolet to the far infrared," Hagopian said. "No one else has achieved this milestone yet."
The nanotech-based coating is a thin layer of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, tiny hollow tubes made of pure carbon about 10,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair. They are positioned vertically on various substrate materials much like a shag rug. The team has grown the nanotubes on silicon, silicon nitride, titanium, and stainless steel, materials commonly used in space-based scientific instruments. (To grow carbon nanotubes, Goddard technologist Stephanie Getty applies a catalyst layer of iron to an underlayer on silicon, titanium, and other materials. She then heats the material in an oven to about 1,382 degrees Fahrenheit. While heating, the material is bathed in carbon-containing feedstock gas.)
The tests indicate that the nanotube material is especially useful for a variety of spaceflight applications where observing in multiple wavelength bands is important to scientific discovery. One such application is stray-light suppression. The tiny gaps between the tubes collect and trap background light to prevent it from reflecting off surfaces and interfering with the light that scientists actually want to measure. Because only a small fraction of light reflects off the coating, the human eye and sensitive detectors see the material as black.
In particular, the team found that the material absorbs 99.5 percent of the light in the ultraviolet and visible, dipping to 98 percent in the longer or far-infrared bands. "The advantage over other materials is that our material is from 10 to 100 times more absorbent, depending on the specific wavelength band," Hagopian said.
"We were a little surprised by the results," said Goddard engineer Manuel Quijada, who co-authored the SPIE paper and carried out the reflectance tests. "We knew it was absorbent. We just didn't think it would be this absorbent from the ultraviolet to the far infrared."
If used in detectors and other instrument components, the technology would allow scientists to gather hard-to-obtain measurements of objects so distant in the universe that astronomers no longer can see them in visible light or those in high-contrast areas, including planets in orbit around other stars, Hagopian said. Earth scientists studying the oceans and atmosphere also would benefit. More than 90 percent of the light Earth-monitoring instruments gather comes from the atmosphere, overwhelming the faint signal they are trying to retrieve.
Currently, instrument developers apply black paint to baffles and other components to help prevent stray light from ricocheting off surfaces. However, black paints absorb only 90 percent of the light that strikes it. The effect of multiple bounces makes the coating's overall advantage even larger, potentially resulting in hundreds of times less stray light.
In addition, black paints do not remain black when exposed to cryogenic temperatures. They take on a shiny, slightly silver quality, said Goddard scientist Ed Wollack, who is evaluating the carbon-nanotube material for use as a calibrator on far-infrared-sensing instruments that must operate in super-cold conditions to gather faint far-infrared signals emanating from objects in the very distant universe. If these instruments are not cold, thermal heat generated by the instrument and observatory, will swamp the faint infrared they are designed to collect.
Black materials also serve another important function on spacecraft instruments, particularly infrared-sensing instruments, added Goddard engineer Jim Tuttle. The blacker the material, the more heat it radiates away. In other words, super-black materials, like the carbon nanotube coating, can be used on devices that remove heat from instruments and radiate it away to deep space. This cools the instruments to lower temperatures, where they are more sensitive to faint signals.
To prevent the black paints from losing their absorption and radiative properties at long wavelengths, instrument developers currently use epoxies loaded with conductive metals to create a black coating. However, the mixture adds weight, always a concern for instrument developers. With the carbon-nanotube coating, however, the material is less dense and remains black without additives, and therefore is effective at absorbing light and removing heat. "This is a very promising material," Wollack said. "It's robust, lightweight, and extremely black. It is better than black paint by a long shot."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111108213055.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #27 on Nov 13, 2011, 12:34am » | |
New System of Intelligent Management of Street Lighting Enables 80% Savings in Energy
ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2011) — Until recently there did not exist any kind of system of illumination that had more than 30% energy saving. In 2009, ACR Grupo, Tecnalia and Eguzkitan created the Intelligent illumination company, LUIX, which currently markets an intelligent system for public lighting that achieves between 70% and 80% savings in the energy previously consumed.
The Luix company and the Luix System arose out of the Diversification Area of the ACR group, the Navarre-based construction company. Today economic and energy savings is priority for Town Halls given that illumination tales up 55% of the energy costs. This new system, marketed by LUIX Intelligent Illumination and developed by TECNALIA as its technological partner, has been implemented in various urban areas of Gipuzkoa and neighbouring Navarre. The results obtained show that, for example, if the city of Donostia-San Sebastián (the capital of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa) were to implement this system for its 25,000 streetlamps, the annual saving would be close to 3 million euros. Moreover, at a (Spanish) state level, the annual saving would be more than 250 million euros.
The LUIX system regulates the illumination of the streetlamps depending on the persons and vehicles that are in transit at the time in the street. The streetlamps light up and dim gradually in the appropriate sequence and direction, depending on the prediction of movement and the direction of persons and vehicles present. This is possible thanks to the device incorporated into the streetlamps that detect both presence and movement. The system is configurable in such a way that the intensity of light can be regulated without having to switch off the streetlamp completely, adjusting the quantity of light to the needs of each instant, depending on the volume of persons and vehicles.
Another important advantage is the capacity for the remote management enabled by the system. At the moment a streetlamp switches off or undergoes an incident, the system itself remotely alerts the operator or client, reducing the repair time to a minimum, giving rise to a significant saving in the maintenance of the infrastructure, as well as the immediate resolution of the problem.
Additionally, the LUIX system is an important advance for application in future intelligent cities, where Town Halls and the public can be provided with a significant number of new services run through a network created by the LUIX system itself, such as outside communication, sensorisation, control of the degree of contamination, control of the traffic density at any point in the city, etc.
Thus, the most important advantage is that, through all this energy efficiency, the management of remote illumination of the public highway is and incorporating it into intelligent cites, can be undertaken without any need for huge investment, given that the LUIX system is coupled to the existing cable system.
Pilot projects
The system has undergone trials, in a partial manner, in a number of municipal boroughs in Gipuzkoa and Navarre. A year ago in the Gipuzkoan village of Gabiria, the LUIX system was installed in 16 streetlamps in one of its squares and the savings came to 1,671 euros: 974 euros in energy savings and 697 euros in maintenance. This has meant savings of 83.84% and the reduction of 7,720 kilos of CO2 in just one year.
The city of Tolosa installed the system last July with 28 streetlamps in the Usaba Sports Centre area. It is anticipated that in one year the financial savings would be 3,200 euros and energy 77%. Also, the Navarre village of Ustárroz applied the same system some months ago to 35 of its streetlamps. The forecast is that the annual savings would be some 6,438 euros.
The efficacy of the system having been proven, the municipal boroughs in Navarre of Isaba and Salinas were the first (in Navarre) to install in an integrated manner throughout all their streets. The installation was undertaken in September and it is estimated that the savings for these borough councils would be 20,000 euros in one year, with an energy saving of nearly 80%.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Elhuyar Fundazioa.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111094558.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #28 on Nov 13, 2011, 1:08am » | |
Plant With 'Eggbeater' Texture Inspires Waterproof Coating
![[image]](http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/6824/111110151701large435582.jpg "[image]")
Optical micrograph of eggbeater-shaped hairs on the leaf surface of the aquatic plant Salvinia molesta. The hairs reduce friction and help the plant stay afloat. Ohio State University engineers have replicated the surface in a plastic coating that could reduce drag and boost buoyancy on boats and submarines. (Credit: Image courtesy of Ohio State University)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2011) — A floating weed that clogs waterways around the world has at least one redeeming feature: It's inspired a high-tech waterproof coating intended for boats and submarines.
The Brazilian fern Salvinia molesta has proliferated around the Americas and Australia in part because its surface is dotted with oddly shaped hairs that trap air, reduce friction, and help the plant stay afloat.
In the November 1 issue of the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Ohio State University engineers describe how they recreated the texture, which resembles a carpet of tiny eggbeater-shaped fibers. The plastic coating they created in the laboratory is soft and plush, like a microscopic shag carpet.
In nature, air pockets trapped at the base of Salvinia's hairs reduce friction in the water and help the plant float, while a sticky region at the tips of the eggbeaters clings lightly to the water, providing stability.
It's the combination of slippery and sticky surfaces that makes the texture so special, said Bharat Bhushan, Ohio Eminent Scholar and the Howard D. Winbigler Professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State.
"The Salvinia leaf is an amazing hybrid structure. The sides of the hairs are hydrophobic -- in nature, they're covered with wax -- which prevents water from touching the leaves and traps air beneath the eggbeater shape at the top. The trapped air gives the plant buoyancy," he said.
"But the tops of the hairs are hydrophilic. They stick to the water just a tiny bit, which keeps the plant stable on the water surface."
In tests, the coating performed just as the Salvinia hairs do in nature. The bases of the hairs were slippery, while the tips of the hairs were sticky. Water droplets did not penetrate between the hairs, but instead clung to the tops of the eggbeater structures -- even when the coating sample was turned on its side to a 90-degree vertical.
With commercial development, the coating could reduce drag and boost buoyancy and stability on boats and submarines, Bhushan said.
Bhushan and master's student Jams Hunt compared the stickiness of their plastic coating to the stickiness of the natural Salvinia leaf using an atomic force microscope. The two surfaces performed nearly identically, with the plastic coating generating an adhesive force of 201 nanoNewtons (billionths of a Newton) and the leaf generating 207 nanoNewtons.
That's a very tiny force compared to familiar adhesives such as transparent tape or even masking tape. But the adhesion is similar to that of another natural surface studied by Bhushan and other researchers: gecko feet.
"I've studied the gecko feet, which are sticky, and the lotus leaf, which is slippery," Bhushan said. "Salvinia combines aspects of both."
Bhushan develops biomimetic structures -- artificial structures created in the lab to mimic structures found in nature. The gecko feet inspired him to investigate a repositionable, "smart" adhesive, and the lotus leaf inspired the notion of glass that repels water and dirt.
He came to study Salvinia through a colleague in the university's Biological Sciences Greenhouse, who provided samples of the plant for the study.
Salvinia molesta, also known as giant salvinia, is native to Brazil, and is a popular plant for home aquariums and decorative ponds around the world. It needs no dirt, but lives solely in the water -- even moving water such as rivers and lakes.
At some point, the hearty plant escaped from people's homes into the wild. Now it has proliferated into commercial waterways in North America, South America, and Australia, where it has become an invasive species.
While the plant is a nuisance to ships today, it could ultimately provide a benefit if a commercial coating based on its texture became available. Bhushan has no plans to commercialize it himself, though.
"With this study, we've gotten deep insight into a very simple concept [how the Salvinia leaf works]. That's where the fun is," he said. "Besides, I've already moved on to studying shark skin."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio State University. The original article was written by Pam Frost Gorder.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1. James Hunt, Bharat Bhushan. Nanoscale biomimetics studies of Salvinia molesta for micropattern fabrication. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2011; 363 (1): 187 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2011.06.084
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110151701.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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Big Bunny
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| | Re: New Millenium Technology VIII
« Reply #29 on Nov 13, 2011, 1:10am » | |
Are Electron Tweezers Possible? Apparently So
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2011) — Not to pick up electrons, but tweezers made of electrons. A recent paper by researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Virginia (UVA) demonstrates that the beams produced by modern electron microscopes can be used not just to look at nanoscale objects, but to move them around, position them and perhaps even assemble them.
Essentially, they say, the tool is an electron version of the laser "optical tweezers" that have become a standard tool in biology, physics and chemistry for manipulating tiny particles. Except that electron beams could offer a thousand-fold improvement in sensitivity and resolution.
Optical tweezers were first described in 1986 by a research team at Bell Labs. The general idea is that under the right conditions, a tightly focused laser beam will exert a small but useful force on tiny particles. Not pushing them away, which you might expect, but rather drawing them towards the center of the beam. Biochemists, for example, routinely use the effect to manipulate individual cells or liposomes under a microscope.
If you just consider the physics, says NIST metallurgist Vladimir Oleshko, you might expect that a beam of focused electrons -- such as that created by a transmission electron microscope (TEM) -- could do the same thing. However that's never been seen, in part because electrons are much fussier to work with. They can't penetrate far through air, for example, so electron microscopes use vacuum chambers to hold specimens.
So Oleshko and his colleague, UVA materials scientist James Howe, were surprised when, in the course of another experiment, they found themselves watching an electron tweezer at work. They were using an electron microscope to study, in detail, what happens when a metal alloy melts or freezes. They were observing a small particle -- a few hundred microns wide -- of an aluminum-silicon alloy held just at a transition point where it was partially molten, a liquid shell surrounding a core of still solid metal. In such a small sample, the electron beam can excite plasmons, a kind of quantized wave in the alloy's electrons, that reveals a lot about what happens at the liquid-solid boundary of a crystallizing metal. "Scientifically, it's interesting to see how the electrons behave," says Howe, "but from a technological point of view, you can make better metals if you understand, in detail, how they go from liquid to solid."
"This effect of electron tweezers was unexpected because the general purpose of this experiment was to study melting and crystallization," Oleshko explains. "We can generate this sphere inside the liquid shell easily; you can tell from the image that it's still crystalline. But we saw that when we move or tilt the beam -- or move the microscope stage under the beam -- the solid particle follows it, like it was glued to the beam."
Potentially, Oleshko says, electron tweezers could be a versatile and valuable tool, adding very fine manipulation to wide and growing lists of uses for electron microscopy in materials science. "Of course, this is challenging because it requires a vacuum," he says, "but electron probes can be very fine, three orders of magnitude smaller than photon beams -- close to the size of single atoms. We could manipulate very small quantities, even single atoms, in a very precise way."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
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Journal Reference:
1. Vladimir P. Oleshko, James M. Howe. Are electron tweezers possible? Ultramicroscopy, 2011; 111 (11): 1599 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2011.08.015
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109161305.htm
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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860
"In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, breathe the same air, and we all cherish our children’s future."
John F. Kennedy |
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