Applied Physics

How Accurately Is The Environmental Protection Agency Evaluated?

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) evaluates research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies using the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), a set of questions that asks agencies about many aspects of the ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 31 2008 - 7:02pm

Carbohydrate Molecule Linked To Proper Embryonic Stem Cell Self-Renewal

Heparan sulfate, a carbohydrate molecule that coats certain proteins on the cell surface, is critical for the proper proliferation and potency of embryonic stem cells, researchers report. Stem cells’ tremendous therapeutic potential arises from their abili ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 2 2008 - 11:17am

Particle Swarm Optimization Approach To Improve Digital Photos

A new approach to cleaning up digital photos has been developed by researchers in the UK and Jordan- they use a computer algorithm known as PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization) to intelligently boost contrast and detail in images without distorting the underl ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 3 2008 - 5:31pm

Air Force Invests $1 Million In Planes With Wingspans Smaller Than A Deck Of Cards

Aerospace engineers are again looking to natural flyers to create the next generation in airplanes. For example: A Blackbird jet flying nearly 2,000 miles per hour covers 32 body lengths per second but a common pigeon flying at 50 miles per hour covers 75. ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 5 2008 - 12:08am

Systems Biology Using A Mechanical Engineering Approach

Quantitative modeling of a biological pathway normally involves intense computer simulations to crunch all available data on the dozens of relevant reactions in the pathway, producing a detailed interaction map. Now an MIT team has used an engineering appr ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 6 2008 - 10:55am

The Art Of Sausage-making

A butcher from Mindelheim and Fraunhofer scientists have succeeded in manufacturing tasty sausage varieties containing only two to three percent of fat. The almost fat-free sausage is now making its way onto the refrigerated shelves of German shops. Master ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 15 2008 - 5:31am

Paper: Carbon Processing In Rivers More Important Than Previously Thought

In the science world, media and our daily lives, the debate continues over how carbon in the atmosphere is affecting global climate change. In a study of how organic carbon is processed in rivers, a research team including an engineer, ecologists and micro ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2008 - 6:30am

Transmission Line With An Organic Substrate Improves High-Speed Signals

As computers become more complex, the demand increases for more connections between computer chips and external circuitry such as a motherboard or wireless card. And as the integrated circuits become more advanced, maximizing their performance requires bet ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 11 2008 - 4:26pm

Greener Extraction Of Titanium Dioxide

From medicine to make-up, plastics to paper- hardly a day goes by when we don't use titanium dioxide. Now researchers at the University of Leeds have developed a simpler, cheaper and greener method of extracting higher yields of one of this most usefu ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 11 2008 - 8:09pm

Solar Chimney Plus Wind Tower Is Fuel-Free Air Conditioning

A new approach to the cooling of buildings across the developing world that needs nothing but wind and sun to operate has been devised by engineers in India. Writing in the International Journal of Sustainable Design, the team explains the concept of a com ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 11 2008 - 9:31pm