LOS ANGELES — After nine years of research shrouded in secrecy, a Silicon Valley tech firm Wednesday took the wraps off a fuel cell that it says can generate energy by combining air and a wide range of fuels without going through the process of combustion. The firm, Bloom Energy, said the solid oxide fuel cell — resembling a Polaroid snapshot in dimension and thickness — can be powered by either fossil fuel or renewable sources in an electrochemical process that is both cleaner and more re...
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In my last report from Physics@FOM, I will talk about something I am truly not competent to discuss: "Holography, ADS/CFT and the emergence of gravity." I realize that I am not always the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I have never found myself so lost so quickly in a presentation. I think this comes from the difficulties in conveying some very new concepts by Erik Verlinde, who is still in the process of grappling with them himself. Nevertheless, let me try. Holography, and anti de Sitter sp...
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HOUSTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Scientists at Rice University say they've used nanobubbles to target and explode individual diseased cancer cells. Physicists Dmitri Lapotko and Jason Hafner created the nanobubbles by placing gold nanoparticles in cancer cells and then zapping them with short laser pulses, the university said in a release. "The bubbles work like a jackhammer," Lapotko said, noting the goal is to identify and treat unhealthy cells early, before a disease progresses. Lapotko first used th...
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An international team of researchers has identified a new theoretical approach that may one day make the synthesis of hydrogen fuel storage materials less complicated and improve the thermodynamics and reversibility of the system. Many researchers have their sights set on hydrogen as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal that contain carbon, pollute the environment and contribute to global warming. Known to be the most abundant element in the universe, hy...
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This Côte d’Azur researcher from the CNRS won this year's JEB Outstanding Paper Prize awarded for the best article published by a young scientist. The prize is awarded in recognitionof an outstanding achievement and is intended to encourage young scientists,’ according to Hans Hoppleler, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Experimental Biology . Dr. Xavier Noblin received the distinction for his paper on ‘Surface tension propulsion of fungal spores’. A physics graduat...
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CD-adapco has announced the release of new versions of STAR-CD and es-ice, which together make up leading industrial toolkit for engine simulation. “With an ever-increasing emphasis on emissions and energy sustainability – from legislators and consumers alike – challenges for Powertrain teams continue to grow, Whether it’s a new fuel, new combustion model or a new lightweight material, realistic simulation is an integral tool in successfully bringing new technologies to market” said CD...
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A Return Customer, Hubei Sanning Chemical Co. Orders CER Systems for New and Existing Sulfuric Acid Plants. SHANGHAI, Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- China Energy Recovery Inc. /quotes/comstock/11i!cgyv (CGYV 1.20, +0.01, +0.84%) ("CER"), an international leader in the design, fabrication, installation and servicing of waste heat recovery systems, announced today that it signed a contract with Hubei Sanning Chemical Co. Ltd. to manufacture and install two, large-scale waste heat recovery...
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A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors. The technique has been experimentally validated in both the mouse genome and the fruit fly genome. "Our statistical approach is more widely applicable than other approaches, and is especially useful for investigating gene regulatory networks with relatively little prior c...
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The project, funded by the U.S. Air Force Multi University Research Initiative (MURI), seeks to test the performance of the new nanocomposites in orbit. Space Shuttle Atlantis will carry the samples to the International Space Station (ISS). The materials will then be mounted to the station’s outer hull in a Passive Experiment Carrier (PEC), and exposed to the rigors of space. Rensselaer professors Linda Schadler, of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Thierry Blanchet, of ...
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The Virginia Tech mining and minerals engineering department has received a $1.24 million, five-year contract by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to study the effects of roof falls, bumps, or explosions on underground mine ventilation systems. Kray Luxbacher, an assistant professor with the College of Engineering's mining department, is serving as principal investigator of the study. She will be supported by fellow faculty members Saad Ragab, a professor in the d...
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