News on research driving industry and manufacturing. Covers petrochemical emissions, food innovation, controlled-explosion labs, and industry-academic partnerships.
Researchers at Australian National University have modeled energy consumption by wireless sensors and explored the use of ambient radio frequency sources for powering devices. The breakthrough aims to replace batteries with long-lasting monitoring devices in industries such as health, agriculture, and infrastructure.
A carrot and stick approach to workplace safety may not be effective, instead, QUT researcher Dr Jason Edwards is working on a new strategy that combines educative and directive methods to promote safety excellence. This research aims to develop evidence-based strategies to reduce productivity losses due to injuries and illnesses.
The University of Bristol's research identified four priority challenges to equine welfare: unresolved stress/pain behaviour, inappropriate nutrition, inadequate stabling/turnout, and delayed death. The findings aim to improve horse welfare in the UK, with a focus on education, industry collaboration, and legislative changes.
Scientists at the University of Bath will monitor chemical reactions in real-time with a new £1.3 million facility. This allows researchers to develop more efficient catalysts for producing hydrogen fuel and synthesizing paracetamol from waste citrus fruit.
The University of Nottingham is developing breakthrough aerospace technologies with leading European manufacturers, focusing on environmental performance and fuel efficiency. The institution is also launching new aerospace undergraduate programs at Farnborough International Airshow.
A team of University of Florida researchers has successfully used light to grow gold nanoprisms, enabling better control over the growth process. The discovery has significant implications for pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and solar panels.
Researchers have developed a unique approach to trapping platinum atoms, reducing the need for expensive platinum in chemical reactions. The new method uses cerium oxide to create nano-scale traps that keep platinum atoms stable, improving catalyst efficiency and performance.
A recent study found that Japanese quail grown in green and red light exhibit higher body weights and reproductive development compared to white and blue light. This surprising discovery has potential applications across various fields, including poultry production, cancer research, and endocrine studies.
A new special issue by Yale's Journal of Industrial Ecology investigates the widening gap between where products are made and where impacts occur. The articles analyze environmental impacts such as water, energy, and land use, as well as economic and social indicators like child labor and carbon emissions.
Researchers have discovered a highly selective catalyst that converts carbon dioxide into ethylene, producing more ethylene and fewer unwanted side products. The catalyst, made from plasma-treated copper, offers new possibilities for designing nanoscale catalysts with specific activity and selectivity.
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering's SMART program teams city teachers with university faculty and graduate students for advanced STEM workshops, research, and entrepreneurship. A new NSF grant adds a weeklong industry experience at major businesses.
A new study by Sarah Horton found that many agribusiness companies provide employees with valid work authorization documents belonging to friends or family members. This practice, known as 'ghost workers,' allows employers to disguise the employment of undocumented immigrants and evade labor laws. The research highlights the role of id...
Researchers at Binghamton University developed a framework that calculates relationships between select features of terrorist attacks, predicting characteristics with over 90% accuracy. The framework analyzes past attacks to identify future patterns, supporting the idea that terrorists learn from each other's behavior.
A new report calls for increased funding for convergence research, which merges approaches from engineering, physics, and life sciences to transform health research. Convergence-based research has already shown promise, with many universities adopting this approach, including MIT's Koch Institute and Harvard's Wyss Institute.
Researchers have developed a new brute force technique to test thousands of biochemical reactions at once, allowing them to quickly find optimal conditions. This breakthrough enables faster development of diagnostic tests and sheds light on molecular behavior in test tube conditions.
The study analyzed 1,297 invasive insect pests on 124 countries, finding the US, China, India, and Brazil to be the highest potential cost impacters. Smaller developing countries like those in sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately vulnerable due to their reliance on agriculture.
Researchers find food service industry is significantly more labor intensive and has decreasing returns to scale compared to other industries. The study suggests higher costs and wages may make it difficult for restaurants to remain profitable, requiring a re-thought of the business model.
A team from Swansea University has developed a new 'smart release' corrosion inhibitor for coated steel products, outperforming hexavalent chromate in laboratory tests. The technology could lead to significant market share and is environmentally sound, economical, and safer.
The University of Delaware-DuPont team has received an NSF grant to investigate a new approach to manufacturing small-scale structures that are cheaper, lighter and defect-free. The research aims to create ultra-small features using self-assembling macromolecules and block copolymers.
A review of physical employment standards aims to improve age- and sex-neutrality and address nutritional health, hydration, protective clothing, and load carriage. The special issue consolidates international perspectives on best practices in employment standards.
Researchers developed innovative solutions for autonomous flight, sensing and swarm coordination. The team's breakthroughs include new manufacturing methods, ultra-low power computing architectures and adhesives for agile robots.
UK policymakers face constraints due to WTO rules, EU accords, and regional priorities when devising a new farm policy post-Brexit. Brexit could affect the EU's agricultural policy and agri-food issues remain a major concern.
Researchers at UTSA are using $100,000 grants to develop cloud computing for precision medicine and mobile solutions for health promotion interventions. The project combines electronic medical record data with genomics data to improve healthcare outcomes.
A 'jumping gene' mutation, a type of transposable element, is responsible for the dark form of peppered moths that emerged during Britain's industrial revolution. The mutation was independently dated to around 1819 and is consistent with historical records.
A University of Exeter researcher has led a four-year project to develop starch-based gels using enzymes, aiming to improve industrial applications and consumer well-being. The research could also reduce production costs and CO2 emissions associated with conventional gel manufacturing.
The Journal of Dairy Science has compiled two new collections of articles, one on stocking density for dairy cattle and the other on lactic acid bacteria. The stocking density collection includes 10 articles published between 2006 and 2015, while the lactic acid bacteria collection contains 30 articles published between 1962 and 2016.
Industry self-monitoring of small offshore oil spills is inadequate, leaving a gap in understanding the impact on seabird populations. Chronic pollution from small spills may have greater population-level impacts than single large spills.
Dr. Ben Choi's research on many-valued logic computers has the potential to increase computation speed and memory capacity, pushing the speed limit of computing. The technology could lead to faster microprocessors and improved data transfer speeds.
Researchers at the University of Bath's new CAMERA centre are applying motion capture technology to train elite athletes and rehabilitating injured service personnel. The team aims to automate the process of animating non-human creatures using input from human actors, with potential applications in healthcare, sports, and entertainment.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has committed £15 million to support seven research projects across the UK. These projects aim to improve the complex formulation processes used in various industries, including toothpaste, inhalers, pharmaceuticals, and 3D printing. By developing new libraries of materials...
Researchers discovered a way to remove acetylene from ethylene using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), reducing the need for costly catalytic conversion. The SIFSIX MOF family can filter out contaminants with high selectivity and adsorption capacity, producing pure ethylene.
Most US local governments gain from oil and gas development due to increased revenue from local property taxes, state severance taxes, and sales tax revenues. However, rural regions face difficulties in keeping pace with rapid industry growth.
A new type of hydrostatic transmission combines hydraulic and pneumatic lines to drive robot arms with extreme precision, enabling delicate tasks like picking up an egg. This technology enables robots to interact with people in a life-like manner, making them ideal for human-robot interaction research.
A Penn State researcher found that political lobbying is linked to increased airline profits, but may harm the effectiveness of government regulation. The study analyzed data from 46 companies over 15 years, revealing a positive correlation between lobbying efforts and profitability.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham are using synthetic biology and microorganisms to ferment methane gas into valuable nutritional supplements. The project, called PUFA, has the potential to provide an alternative source of Omega 3 fatty acids that are both sustainable and economical.
Researchers found that only half of perceived friendships are reciprocal, while most people overestimate the level of mutual support in their relationships. The study's algorithm accurately determines the nature of friendships with high accuracy.
Armen Sarvazyan has been awarded the Helmholtz-Rayleigh Interdisciplinary Silver Medal by the Acoustical Society of America for his contributions to ultrasound imaging and its applications. He made significant findings on elasticity imaging technology and developed ultrasonic devices for biomolecular interactions.
Megan S. Ballard receives the R. Bruce Lindsay Award from the Acoustical Society of America for her contributions to underwater acoustic propagation modeling and inversion techniques in acoustical oceanography. The award recognizes her research on sound field calculation in complex underwater environments.
Dennis Reuter and his team are selected as finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for their contributions to the New Horizons mission to Pluto. The LEISA instrument provided groundbreaking data on Pluto's surface composition, expanding scientists' understanding of the outer solar system.
A new method for exhaustively isolating olfactory receptors responding to specific odorants has been developed by Osaka University and Panasonic Corporation. This breakthrough enables quick and easy analysis of ORs responding to desired odorants, with potential applications in biosensors.
Researchers recommend increased subsidies and public funding to help Taiwanese solar producers develop advanced technology and compete globally. The study highlights the need for policymakers to encourage collaboration between academics and industry experts to drive innovation.
York University researchers have received a $1.7 million grant to develop a platform that rapidly determines detailed information about biologic drug candidates. The project aims to accelerate and improve the quality of pharmaceutical companies' drug discovery and development processes.
Five Harvard research projects have received sustaining funding through the Physical Sciences & Engineering Accelerator, which aims to bridge the 'chasm of death' between discovery and product development. The funded projects include a shell scripting language for improved security, a pattern-detection algorithm for enhanced drug evalu...
Researchers from RMIT University and NSW Department of Primary Industries define processing conditions that increase micronutrient retention in white rice. Soaking in water at 90°C followed by steaming proves most effective for retaining nutrients, with potential to address iron deficiency and malnutrition worldwide.
A study found that workers who had good relationships with their bosses carried that goodwill into their new jobs, leading to important benefits for their former workplaces. Good relationships with bosses can also make ex-employees valuable ambassadors and future customers.
Professor Philippe Dubois has been awarded an FNR PEARL Chair to develop new sustainable composite materials from renewable resources. His goal is to replace fossil carbon with bio-composites, targeting applications in automotive and aerospace sectors.
A report by Queen's University political researcher Nathan Andrews finds that EITI countries did not perform better than non-EITI countries, despite disclosure of tax and royalty payments. The researchers speculate that the initiative's limited scope and voluntary nature hindered its effectiveness in reversing the resource curse.
Leading experts argue that food industry funding can support health research, but only if safeguards are in place to prevent bias. Anna B Gilmore and Simon Capewell suggest that industry funding distorts the research agenda and produces biased results. In contrast, Paul Aveyard and Derek Yach recommend co-funding with clear guidelines.
The University of Bristol's Communication Systems and Networks group is leading international research on 5G wireless networks, with a focus on capacity enhancement and data rates. The team will showcase their work at the NetWorld2020 Annual Event and General Assembly in Brussels and the Brooklyn 5G Summit.
McMaster University has received $3.3M in funding to address auto industry and nuclear safety challenges through two research projects, the CaNRisk program and CREATE Program in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Powertrain Design and Development.
Researchers have developed a new approach to convert methane into methanol using copper-containing silicon aluminum compounds as catalysts at constant temperatures and high pressures. This process can potentially reduce the energy waste associated with current industrial methods.
Scientists at Simon Fraser University have developed a new method to exterminate rats by replicating the male brown rat's sex pheromone. This attracts female brown rats, allowing for effective trapping. The discovery forms part of a three-pronged rat control tactic that also exploits sound communication and food preferences.
A new grant will develop an innovative induction tomography system to assess the solidification process of metal, improving continuous casting of steel. This technology will detect defects in molten steel as it cools, enabling industry to monitor and alter the cooling process for better quality, safety, productivity, and competitiveness.
A Tel Aviv University study analyzed 16 inscriptions from the fort of Arad and found evidence of high literacy rates within Judah's administrative apparatus. The findings suggest that widespread literacy was required for the compilation of key biblical texts, dating back to 600 BCE.
A new roadmap outlines actionable recommendations for high-income countries to enhance global surgical capacity. The paper calls on universities, hospitals, and businesses to develop partnerships with LMICs to improve access to safe surgery and anesthesia care.
The international blueprint for action emphasizes the enormous human and economic cost of neglecting surgical conditions, which far exceeds investment required. Investing in safe surgery and anaesthesia is extremely cost-effective, with a fraction of the estimated US$12.3 trillion lost in economic productivity.
A three-year study found that liraglutide can help nondiabetic overweight and obese adults lose weight and reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. After three years, 66% of participants taking liraglutide no longer had prediabetes.
A new study found that abaloparatide-SC increased bone mineral density in the spine and hip, reducing the risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures. The treatment also showed promise in a broad range of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, regardless of baseline patient characteristics.
Researchers found that a new low-dose vaginal estrogen capsule significantly improved symptoms of menopausal vulvar and vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women. The treatment, TX-004HR, showed improvement in vaginal cell regeneration, pH levels, and painful sexual activity.
Researchers used X-rays to observe exactly how silver electrical contacts form during manufacturing, shedding light on the complex process. The results show that lead oxide plays a key role in forming the contact, etching away the solar cell's antireflective coating and allowing silver to move through and harden.