University of Illinois to develop diamond sensors for neutron experiment and quantum information science. The nuclear physics group at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is looking for evidence of new physics in neutrons, electrically neutral particles that hold atomic nuclei together with an interaction called the strong force. Faculty and researchers are participating in the nEDM experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory which will measure the neutron’s electric dipole moment, a property that allows neutrons to interact with electric fields…
A team of physicists watches electrons getting dressed with light. Since ancient times, mankind has tried to tailor materials by combining different substances. Imagine a world where materials properties could be flexibly changed on demand by simply shining light onto them. A group of physicists from across Europe has now made a decisive step towards this goal by dressing electrons moving in a solid with light. The team, which includes researchers from the Universities of Regensburg and Marburg, the Max…
Batteries are indispensable for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel use. However, challenges remain: their production requires a lot of energy, the materials used are rare, and batteries are difficult to recycle. Several research groups at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) are therefore working on new, more environmentally friendly, and more efficient batteries. From cell phones to laptops to electric vehicles and beyond, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are essential in the daily lives of many. Still, what seems…
Lightweight and switchable glass technologies can improve the energy management of buildings with large-area windows and glass facades and contribute significantly to reducing energy consumption for heating or cooling. Improving the availability and cost efficiency of such glasses and the corresponding manufacturing processes is the goal of the EU-funded Switch2Save joint project. The project partners have installed the first electrochromic insulating glass units to test the potential energy savings in a Swedish office building. These solutions for windows and building…
Novel microelectrode array system enables long-term cultivation and electrophysiological analyses. Brain organoids are self-organizing tissue cultures grown from patient cell-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. They form tissue structures that resemble the brain in vivo in many ways. This makes brain organoids interesting for studying both normal brain development and for the development of neurological diseases. However, organoids have been poorly studied in terms of neuronal activity, as measured by electrical signals from the cells. A team of scientists led by…
In order to achieve optimum product quality, precise control of the production process is necessary. For this purpose, the relevant parameters must be continuously recorded. In this context, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST from Braunschweig will be presenting its most recent developments for the optimization of cotter rolling processes at this year’s Hannover Messe: Thin-film sensor inserts which enable precise in-situ detection of the temperature distribution on the tool surface. In collaboration with the Institut…
Augmented Reality for Tomorrow’s Ship Management. The precisely transmitted image of the quay wall on the ship’s window of the steering bridge, provided with some additional information, for example on current conditions and mooring possibilities – even in fog, darkness and poor visibility – this is what the ship navigation of tomorrow could look like. With the joint project “Smart Window”, Fraunhofer ISIT has worked together with partners from industry and the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD) on…
… is impossible with existing technologies. DTU researchers raise fundamental questions about the proposed value of topological protection against backscattering in integrated photonics. The field of integrated photonics has taken off in recent years. These microchips utilise light particles (photons) in their circuitry as opposed to the electronic circuits that, in many ways, form the backbone of our modern age. Offering improved performance, reliability, energy efficiency, and novel functionalities, integrated photonics has immense potential and is fast becoming a part…
Optical detection of ultrasonic signals eliminates the need for ultrasonic transducers, enabling effective remote sensing of photoacoustic signals for label-free, bond-selective imaging of biological tissue. Photoacoustic imaging is a cutting-edge technology that uses light and sound to create images of the inside of the body. When a pulsed laser illuminates the surface of biological tissue, part of the photon energy is absorbed by the tissue to generate heat. The increase of the heat causes thermoelastic expansion of the tissue, releasing…
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a lethal pediatric brain cancer that often kills within a year of diagnosis. Surgery is almost impossible because of the tumors’ location. Chemotherapy has debilitating side effects. New treatment options are desperately needed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Adrian Krainer is best known for his groundbreaking research on antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)—molecules that can control protein levels in cells. His efforts led to Spinraza®, the first FDA-approved treatment for a deadly neurodegenerative disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)….
It’s extremely difficult to study the biological basis of psychiatric disorders, in part because researchers can’t easily collect brain cells from living people to study in the laboratory. Now, University of Utah Health scientists have developed a way around that. The researchers grew three-dimensional structures, called “organoids”, derived from blood cells donated by a patient with pediatric bipolar disorder and by several family members. The approach identified significant molecular changes linked to the psychiatric condition. The results, reported in Molecular…
Machine learning reconstructs new image from EHT data. The iconic image of the supermassive black hole at the center of M87—sometimes referred to as the “fuzzy, orange donut”—has gotten its first official makeover with the help of machine learning. The new image further exposes a central region that is larger and darker, surrounded by the bright accreting gas shaped like a “skinny donut.” The team used the data obtained by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration in 2017 and achieved,…
Altosens GmbH launches Fraunhofer technology on the market. Whether in the industrial environment, in mobility or at home: “Smart services” require data that is processed and evaluated. Altosens GmbH, a Fraunhofer LBF spin-off, offers novel cloud-based force sensors that measure forces where this was previously not easily possible. This allows unexpected service operations to be reduced and therefore systems that are difficult to access to be operated more economically. Such a monitoring system can, for example, increase the profitability of…
The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT will present a novel monitoring method for industrial production at the most important international industrial trade fair from April 17 to 21, 2023 in Hannover. At the booth of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Hall 16, Booth A12), the Ilmenau-based research institute invites all visitors to test the reliability of the acoustic monitoring method for themselves at an interactive demonstrator. Based on artificial intelligence (AI), acoustic monitoring can be used for the quality assurance of…
Leipzig scientists increase efficiency. One of the most widely used plastics in the world is polyethylene terephthalate, or PET for short. It is everywhere in our daily lives in the form of reusable PET drinks bottles. At the end of the lifecycle of a product containing PET, the environmentally friendly reuse of the PET components through the activity of enzymes is an economically and ecologically interesting alternative to incineration, landfill or purely chemical recycling. A team of researchers from Leipzig…
Rapid Part Evaluation develops measurement technology for fast and automated parameter determination. The founding team of Rapid Part Evaluation, based at the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, focuses on the service life of frequently used machine elements such as seals, gears or bearings. Using the specially developed measuring device and software, companies will be able to fast and automatically evaluate application-related parameters when testing components as early as the design phase. The project is currently being funded by an EXIST start-up grant from…
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