Map and satellite hybrid technology developed for AF

Tweet

Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) and Geosemble Technologies are improving Air Force situational awareness with software that presents vast amounts of map data in a more manageable format

Using funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Dr. Craig Knoblock and his team developed a computerized method for aligning maps with satellite imagery. The result combined the visual appeal of photographs with the attribution information found on maps.

New nanotubes promise large scale production

Tweet

In a paper published this month in Nano Research, Rice University chemist Bob Hauge's team describes a method for making "odako," bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). Named for the traditional Japanese kites they resemble, they may lead to the production of meter-long strands of nanotubes, no wider than a piece of DNA.

Caltech researchers link tiny sea creatures to large-scale ocean mixing

Tweet

PASADENA, Calif.—Using a combination of theoretical modeling, energy calculations, and field observations, researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have for the first time described a mechanism that explains how some of the ocean's tiniest swimming animals can have a huge impact on large-scale ocean mixing.

Their findings are being published in the July 30 issue of the journal Nature.

A "shrimp cocktail" for your gas tank: making biodiesel with shrimp shells

Tweet

Call it a "shrimp cocktail" for your fuel tank. Scientists in China are reporting development of a catalyst made from shrimp shells that could transform production of biodiesel fuel into a faster, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly process. Their study is scheduled for the Aug. 20 issue of ACS' Energy & Fuels, a bi-monthly journal.

Robot's have three new written rules

Tweet

"When you think about it, our cultural view of robots has always been anti-people, pro-robot," explained David Woods, professor of integrated systems engineering at Ohio State University. "The philosophy has been, 'sure, people make mistakes, but robots will be better -- a perfect version of ourselves.' We wanted to write three new laws to get people thinking about the human-robot relationship in more realistic, grounded ways."

In the current issue of journal IEEE Intelligent Systems, two engineers propose alternative laws to rewrite our future with robots.

NYU physicists show way to count sweets in a jar -- from inside the jar

Tweet

How many sweets fit into a jar? This question depends on the shapes and sizes of the sweets, the size of the jar, and how it is filled. Surprisingly, this ancient question remains unanswered because of the complex geometry of sweet-packing. Moreover, as any contestant knows, guessing the number of sweets in the jar is difficult because the sweets located at the center of the jar are hidden from view and can't be counted. Researchers at New York University have now determined how sweets pack from inside the jar, making it easier to more accurately count them.

Low prevalence of HPV infection may be tied to poor prognosis for blacks with head and neck cancer

Tweet

Researchers at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer have found that head and neck cancer patients who test positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) have much better survival rates than patients who don't have the virus, according to a new study in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. The researchers also discovered that blacks in the study had a very low rate of HPV infection, and consequently worse survival, which may explain why African-American patients traditionally have had a poor prognosis for head and neck cancer.

Safety of combat military vehicles examined

Tweet

A Queen's University Belfast academic is working on research that could help protect the lives of military based in Afghanistan.

Professor Wei Sha from Queen's School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering has been testing how safe vehicles with titanium alloys are when attacked by bullets or explosions.

Professor Sha's research examines the damage tolerance of the popular material titanium. It is the first research of its kind to reveal the reasons behind the deformation and damage of titanium alloys under strong impact or fast applied force.

LSUHSC contributes to revealing targets to reduce racial disparity in prostate cancer deaths

Tweet

E-Noses: Testing their mettle against fly noses

Tweet

Scientists from CSIRO's Food Futures Flagship have made a breakthrough in efforts to extend the sensory range of 'electronic noses' (e-noses) by developing a system for comparing their performance against the much-superior nose of the common house fly.

"Although e-noses already have many uses – such as detecting spoilage in the food industry and monitoring air quality – they are not as discriminating as biological noses," according to CSIRO scientist, Dr Stephen Trowell.