Tech

This paper provides an overview of the early Cambrian Guanshan biota with emphasis on new information regarding its sedimentology, taphonomy, and biodiversity. The full extent and significance of this exceptionally preserved biota are also discussed.

The study is reported in Issue 53 of Science China Earth Sciences because of its significant research value.

Jerusalem, April 3, 2011 -- Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have achieved a breakthrough in the field of nanoscience by successfully altering nanocrystal properties with impurity atoms -- a process called doping – thereby opening the way for the manufacture of improved semiconductor nanocrystals.

Cambridge, Mass. - April 3, 2011 - Materials scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and SiEnergy Systems LLC have demonstrated the first macro-scale thin-film solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC).

While SOFCs have previously worked at the micro-scale, this is the first time any research group has overcome the structural challenges of scaling the technology up to a practical size with a proportionally higher power output.

New Orleans – Current research supports the notion that lifestyle choices influence cardiovascular health, but to what extent specific emotions play is undefined. Now, new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has revealed the role that guilt may play as a motivational tool for cardiovascular patients.

The share price of a stock reflects investor and analyst opinions about its prospects and indicates whether positive or negative developments are on the horizon. The micoblogging platform Twitter has become an important medium for the exchange of such viewpoints. Thousands of stock-related messages are broadcasted every day via Twitter. Twittering investors mark tweets according to company stock symbols, for example, "$AAPL" for the U.S. computer company Apple.

CO2 capture by means of amines is considered to be the most appropriate method to quickly begin with CO2 removal. During this capture process, some of the amines escaping the recycling process will be emitted into the air and will also form other compounds such as nitrosamines and nitramines. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) was commissioned by the Climate and Pollution Agency (Klif) to assess whether these new emissions are harmful to health - particularly in terms of the cancer risk to the general population. The results of the risk assessments were submitted recently.

Babies are born earlier when their mothers live near a concentration of freeways and main roads, a study of 970 mothers and their newborn babies in Logan City, south of Brisbane, has found.

Senior research fellow Associate Professor Adrian Barnett from Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) said the study, published today in the online journal Environmental Health, showed that the more freeways and highways around a pregnant woman's home, the higher the likelihood of her baby being born prematurely.

Research from North Carolina State University shows that they really don't make women like they used to, at least in Spain. The study, which examined hundreds of Spanish and Portuguese skulls spanning four centuries, shows that differences in the craniofacial features of men and women have become less pronounced.

Coils are a central functional element of the motor. They are subjected to strong vibrations and changes in temperature. And the components must be as small as possible so that the motor fits into the wheel. "We are now producing coils using casting technology. This makes it possible to produce electrical motors that are not only more compact, but are also higher performing and more cost-efficient," said Felix Horch, project manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research IFAM in Bremen, Germany.

Cambridge, Mass. – April 2, 2011 – Engineers may soon be singing, "I'm going to wash that gray right out of my nanowires," thanks to a colorful discovery by a team of researchers from Harvard University and Zena Technologies. In contrast to the somber gray hue of silicon wafers, Kenneth B. Crozier and colleagues demonstrated that individual, vertical silicon nanowires can shine in all colors of the spectrum.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — With the first observation of thermoelectric effects at graphene contacts, University of Illinois researchers found that graphene transistors have a nanoscale cooling effect that reduces their temperature.

Led by mechanical science and engineering professor William King and electrical and computer engineering professor Eric Pop, the team will publish its findings in the April 3 advance online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

A lack of vitamin D, even in generally healthy people, is linked with stiffer arteries and an inability of blood vessels to relax, research from the Emory/Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute has found.

The results add to evidence that lack of vitamin D can lead to impaired vascular health, contributing to high blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Study participants who increased their vitamin D levels were able to improve vascular health and lower their blood pressure.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Smoking increases the risk of breast cancer, but the risk differs by obesity status in postmenopausal women, according to data from an analysis of the Women's Health Initiative observational study.

A significant association between smoking and breast cancer risk was observed in non-obese women, but not in obese women. The results were similar regardless of whether obesity was defined by body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference.