News on R&D across science and industry. Covers R&D awards, applied studies, quantum institutes, and university research initiatives.
Researchers from Cardiff University and Charles Owen Inc. have developed a novel 3D-printed material called C3, which can improve the safety of athletes and others by better absorbing and dissipating impact. The material has been awarded $250,000 to further develop its potential.
Katherine Zeller, a UMass Amherst doctoral candidate, won a Switzer Environmental Fellowship to develop effective corridors for wildlife between protected areas and populations. Her research uses GPS telemetry collars and genetics to model animal movement and design conservation strategies.
The FaceDirector system enables directors to fine-tune performances in post-production, saving time and money by avoiding reshoots. It combines facial expressions and audio cues for optimal synchronization, allowing users to generate novel versions of performances.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are exploring ways to improve footwear design and replacement policies to reduce slips and falls. By simulating wear using a robotic slip-tester and measuring shoe tread hydroplaning, they aim to identify specific limits to wear and determine critical factors that impact how quickly shoes wear.
A new study finds that publicly funded Ph.D. recipients enter high-wage industries, earn higher-than-average salaries, and contribute to local economic growth. The study tracked nearly 3,200 graduates from eight major research universities, showing they are disproportionately hired in technology and professional service industries.
A new report reveals that increased funding for Ebola research and development comes at the expense of other neglected diseases, which cause more deaths annually than Ebola. Despite this, industry investment in R&D for Ebola, malaria, and HIV/AIDS increases, while funding for TB R&D decreases.
A new visual authoring tool is being developed to enable both experts and novices to create digital story worlds. The tool guides users through three main steps: story world creation, character and object authoring, and event creation.
Artur Avila, a renowned Brazilian mathematician, has won the TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize for his groundbreaking work on dynamical systems and chaos theory. His research has helped resolve major mathematical quandaries and brought global awareness of Brazilian mathematics.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has launched a major initiative to advance novel approaches to treat and prevent HIV infections using broadly neutralizing antibodies. Researchers will work with GlaxoSmithKline to develop long-acting agents for preventing and treating HIV.
Despite a 44% reduction in maternal mortality between 1990 and 2015, the world failed to meet the 75% target set by the Millennium Development Goals. Global progress varied significantly across regions, with some countries achieving impressive declines while others struggled with high mortality rates.
RMIT University researchers created artificial microflowers in water, mimicking natural blooming processes for optoelectronics and other applications. The tiny structures, just 10 microns wide, have potential to break frontiers in scientific fields with easy and reliable building.
A new system developed by Disney Research and Carnegie Mellon University enables users to design customized walking robots using intuitive editing tools. The system ensures the robot moves as intended, allowing users to adjust its gait and behavior.
Disney Research develops tactile animation, an animation software-like tool to create rich haptic sensations. The new process allows designers to focus on unfolding haptic effects over space and time, reducing the need for individually controlling actuators.
A team of researchers from MIT and QCRI developed a system that can automatically convert 2-D video of soccer games into 3-D. The system uses detailed 3-D maps stored in video games to create broadcast-quality 3-D video, achieving real-time processing without visual artifacts.
The tool uses a library of base shapes to enable users to think creatively without tedious trial and error. Researchers used the tool to design and build various shapes, including a turtle with 123 pieces, which was assembled in about 2.5 hours.
A consortium of scientists proposes a major research project to understand and harness microbiomes, aiming to improve human health, agriculture, bioenergy, and the environment. The Unified Microbiome Initiative calls for investments in new tools and cross-disciplinary collaborations to predict and manage microbial behavior.
Scientists have developed a novel method to quickly dissolve away clots that completely obstruct blood vessels in the brain. A drug-device combination using an intra-arterial device restores blood flow to obstructed vessels, effectively clearing the blockage.
Washington State University researchers created a sensing platform to measure and analyze gait patterns in people with glaucoma. This innovation aims to reduce falls and injuries by detecting early signs of the disease, such as slower walking pace and unequal step placement.
Researchers are developing a new eye lens that can adjust focus automatically, using liquid crystals to tackle age-related conditions like presbyopia and cataracts. The lens could be implanted in a quick surgical procedure, offering hope for millions of people affected by these vision problems.
Researchers at Cornell University developed a method to recreate an octopus tentacle's muscle arrangement using elastomer and 3D printing. This breakthrough enables soft actuators with improved agility and freedom of movement.
Researchers developed a simple tool to predict an individual's five-year risk of requiring mechanical ventilation. The scoring system uses factors such as age, gender, diabetes, and hospitalization history to estimate the probability of needing life support.
Researchers at UC San Diego developed a dual frequency wireless charging platform that can charge multiple devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, simultaneously using different wireless standards. The new technology addresses the issue of incompatibility between competing wireless standards, enabling univer...
A new tool has been developed to identify unstable atherosclerotic plaques at greatest risk of rupture, a major contributor to heart attacks and strokes. The tool uses fluorescent probes to detect the severity of plaques and shows high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing high-risk plaques from stable ones.
Researchers are developing a healing glove that delivers medicine to injured hands and speeds up healing, allowing for earlier rehabilitation. The REHEAL Glove provides positive pressure wound therapy, delivering therapeutics and controlling the wound environment for better and faster healing.
SAGE will begin publishing Applied Spectroscopy in partnership with the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, a leading international journal covering all aspects of spectroscopy. The journal aims to publish original research and review articles on fundamentals and applications of photon-based spectroscopy.
The Ecological Society of America releases a report highlighting the benefits of citizen science in ecology, including improved data quality and increased public engagement. The report showcases successful case studies and provides guidance for organizations to design effective citizen science projects.
Researchers developed a small array of flexible sensors to analyze breath samples for specific compounds indicative of ovarian cancer. The system showed an 82% accuracy rate in detecting these compounds, paving the way for a potential less invasive cancer diagnosis method.
The NIH has announced a significant investment in research technology to better understand the placenta's function during pregnancy. This initiative aims to identify problems with the placenta earlier, enabling physicians to intervene more quickly and improve pregnancy outcomes.
The soft skin modules use air-filled cavities to cushion collisions and provide pressure feedback for grasping delicate objects. The researchers successfully tested the modules on a disposable plastic cup, a roll of printer paper, and a piece of tofu, reducing peak forces by 32-52% and side impacts by 26-37%.
Two University of Toronto scientists developed a new research framework to measure agricultural impacts using functional trait-based ecology. The approach focuses on how plants respond to and affect changes in their environment, providing insights into crop diversity, nutrient cycling, pest repellence and drought mitigation.
Researchers at the University of Maryland are working on developing next-generation cryptography to secure against quantum computers. The team will focus on making cryptosystems secure and collaborating with NIST researchers.
The University of Bonn study found that Brazil's 'blacklisting' policy reduced Amazon forest loss by 26% per year. The researchers used data from 2008 to 2012 and compared listed communities with comparable non-listed communities.
Georgia Regents University is among 15 institutions receiving federal funding to train the next generation of physician-scientists in obstetrics and gynecology. The program will support junior faculty, residents, and fellows in research, enabling them to focus on research for at least 30 hours weekly.
The University of Southampton has been awarded a £3m grant to bring together top researchers to explore new nanotechnology applications for enhanced safety at sea, on land and in the air. The project will support over 50 PhD students in interdisciplinary research projects, providing training and building technical capacity.
Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have developed a novel anti-inflammatory nanoparticle that shows promise in treating sepsis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), two leading causes of death in hospitalised patients. The treatment, known as SAN101, has the potential to reduce inflammation and prevent organ failure.
A new AI system crowdsources plot points for interactive stories, allowing for more creative narratives and an easier method for interactive narrative generation. The system achieved near-human-level authoring in a test, with improvements over random generators.
The University of Oklahoma is developing a faster, more advanced imaging radar to provide unprecedented resolution and flexibility in storm surveillance. The new system will enable scientists to study tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, and other phenomena on an incredible time and spatial scale.
A new research from North Carolina State University explores how security tools are used by software developers, finding that peer influence and corporate culture are key factors in adoption. The study also highlights limitations of current tools, including inaccurate notifications and lack of user-friendly interfaces.
A study using the Delphi Method assessed the bioweapons threat and potential misuse of scientific research by querying 59 experts. The results show significant disagreement among authorities, with differing opinions based on factors such as age and expertise.
Researchers have developed an upgrade to the Internet's core encryption protocol, making it resistant to future-proofing by powerful quantum computers. The new protocol uses a mathematical technique called 'ring learning with errors problem' to protect information.
Researchers at UNT Health Science Center and The University of Texas at Arlington have developed a user-friendly system that alerts individuals with sleep apnea to airflow leaks in their PAP machines. This system may motivate patients who give up on treatment due to discomfort or inconvenience.
A representative survey of Mogadishu's population used remote sensing and smartphone technology to gather data on household dynamics, access to electricity, and child education. The findings revealed significant challenges in collecting accurate data due to security concerns and fragmented authority structures.
A study on local salespeople's pricing discretion reveals that central, optimized pricing yields higher profits (20%) than local pricing (11%), improving overall profitability. The hybrid approach balances HQ analytic capabilities with field deal-specific information.
The NSF's EPSCoR program has made eight awards, totaling $42 million, aimed at fostering research collaborations among investigators and institutions across 12 states. The projects focus on developing innovative tools for brain imaging, decoding, and modulation, as well as exploring sustainable energy and water management technologies.
A 700-mile-long airspace has been designated as a Warning Area in the Arctic to facilitate research and exploration while ensuring safety for scientists, oil companies, and pilots. The area will be used for various experiments, including search-and-rescue operations and tracking retreating sea ice.
A new performance capture method developed at Disney Research captures facial features in high resolution, including wrinkles, and operates in real-time with a single video camera. This allows for realistic virtual characters and improved emotional expression conveyance.
The new method uses a hybrid approach employing three different rendering techniques depending on the scale at which the object is viewed. It allows for accurate rendering while reducing computation time, speeding up processing by tens or hundreds of times.
Disney Research has developed a new adaptive rendering method that efficiently corrects for erroneous pixels while preserving crisp detail, resulting in faster production times. The approach uses sparse modeling to predict additional pixels based on patterns identified in a small number of image pixels.
Recent research identified optimal locations for targeted observations to improve forecast skill for ENSO, IOD, TCs, and KLM. The CNOP approach is superior for identifying optimal locations for TCs, while an ensemble approach revealed optimal initial errors for IOD events.
A new laser ablation resonance ionization mass spectrometry technique has successfully dated an Earth rock analogous to the rocks covering one-third of the Moon's nearside. This breakthrough enables direct dating of lunar terrains, filling a critical gap in understanding the Solar System's history.
A study published in Food Quality and Preference found that women tend to buy fragrances for men, suggesting a desire to influence their partner's scent preferences. In contrast, women are less likely to share or gift fragrances with other women, citing concerns about negative connotations.
A new treatment method using magnetic pulses has shown promise in reducing tinnitus symptoms for more than half of study participants. The treatment, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, targets the auditory cortex in the brain and has been approved only for depression treatment.
A new analysis finds that only a fifth of global health aid went toward research on diseases disproportionately affecting the poor and outbreak preparedness. The study recommends increasing funding for these critical global health functions to address growing threats like drug-resistant tuberculosis.
A study published in The Lancet finds that donor funding for key global health issues is significantly underfunded, with only 21% allocated to global functions. The analysis highlights the need for governments to adopt an approach emphasizing funding for global health functions to improve the health of poor people worldwide.
Researchers at KAIST have developed a wireless-power transfer (WPT) technology that allows mobile devices to be charged in any direction, even when away from the power source. The system can charge multiple devices simultaneously and wirelessly, with an efficiency of up to 34%, making it ideal for emergency situations.
Researchers developed a non-invasive technique using Raman spectroscopy to detect various forms of skin cancer. Malignant melanoma can be detected with an accuracy of 91%, while non-melanoma skin cancers are accurately identified between 73% and 85%.
New grant funds development of efficient genomic data compression software to handle large volumes of genomic data, addressing challenges in data storage and transfer. The project aims to identify commonalities in compression strategies across different types of genomic data.
A systematic review of 65 studies in 34 countries identifies 7 areas of mistreatment and abuse during childbirth, including physical, sexual, and verbal abuse. The authors call for improved access to privacy, resources, and trained staff to reduce morbidity and mortality.
A University of Kentucky researcher is developing an artificial blood technology for mosquitoes, which can help sustain colonies in resource-limited areas and combat diseases like malaria. The approach involves sterilizing mosquitoes using a bacterium and has already shown promising results in controlling Asian tiger mosquito populations.
Researchers have developed a prototype coating for wind turbine blades that mimics the intricate structure of an owl's wing, reducing noise production by up to 30dB. The coating, made of 3D-printed plastic, has shown promising results in wind tunnel tests, potentially leading to more efficient and quieter wind turbines.