… for the first time in Bayreuth. Magnetotactic bacteria, or short MTB, have the unique ability to align their movement with the earth’s magnetic field, a surprising feature that makes them increasingly important in research. Prof. Dr. Dirk Schüler, Chair of Microbiology at the University of Bayreuth, is one of the world’s leading experts in this field. From September 4 to 8, 2022, an international conference on magnetotactic bacteria will be held under his leadership, funded by the German Research…
In the food processing industry, closed production systems are cleaned according to strictly defined specifications – and often applying unnecessarily large quantities of chemicals. A fiber-optical fluorescence sensor developed at Fraunhofer IPM measures deposits in closed containers in a minimally invasive manner, thus enabling cleaning processes to be controlled and adapted to the actual degree of fouling. In the food processing industry, high hygiene requirements apply. The cleaning of production facilities must be completely reliable in order to guarantee the…
If groundwater sinks, streams and rivers seep away and pollute drinking water. Increasing drought, less precipitation, rising water demand in agriculture – climate change is causing problems for our groundwater. In Germany and around the world, it is leading to falling groundwater levels in some regions. When the underground water table is low, polluted surface water from streams and rivers finds its way more and more into the groundwater. The result: Our drinking water and groundwater ecosystems are endangered –…
In order to achieve the urgently needed climate neutrality in industry and the society as quickly as possible, energy requirements must be reduced and resources used more efficiently than before. Many industrial manufacturing processes will have to change significantly to achieve this. In the “R2R NET” network, 20 European partners from industry and research are further developing roll-to-roll systems and processes for their rapid use in production. On September 21, 2022, the partners will present current developments, success stories and…
An example of hybrid technology in its purest form has been developed and built by the Fraunhofer ILT for the DVS research project “KoaxHybrid.” In Aachen, the institute engineers have developed a new optical system with glass substrates and an arc torch which unites metal shielding gas (MSG) welding and laser material deposition with an annular beam, thus creating a completely new process. Interested parties can find out how the COLLAR Hybrid process can be used to increase the welding…
Application of Non-Bravais lattices to light control technology. A novel light-manipulating technology has been developed by an international team, including Kyoto University, that can be applied to lasers, sensors, and nonlinear optics. The technique tightly confines near-infrared light within a nanodisk periodic structure. By breaking the symmetry of the periodic square lattice of silicon nanodisks, the team has demonstrated experimentally and computationally their ability to systematically control bound states in the continuum, or BICs. These light distribution states result from…
Polymer-based membranes developed at KAUST could enable greener and cheaper industrial separation approaches. Their stability and selectivity can be tuned by thermal crosslinking to separate simple hydrocarbon mixtures and complex crude oil fractions. Separation processes, such as distillation and evaporation, are central to the chemical, pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, but they are also energy intensive, expensive and polluting. Each year, crude oil refineries consume about one percent of the total energy used worldwide, and some refineries can even release up…
The research has been published in Science Robotics. One of the first demonstrations is that of a pneumatic hand made using a simple 3D printer. Artificial pneumatic muscles consisting of 3D-printed structures that can extend and contract as required: this is the innovative design of the GRACE actuators devised by researchers from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT, Italian Institute of Technology) in Genoa and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies) in Pisa. The work has…
Superconductors — materials that conduct electricity with zero loss of energy — have been well-understood since the development of what’s called the BCS theory in the mid-1950s. However, the recent development of superconducting diodes using twisted, multi-layer graphene has made understanding how unconventional superconductors function an important new topic of fundamental research. Now, an international research group that includes Brown Assistant Professor of Physics Jia Li has reached a critical milestone: Using graphene, a material with unique properties, they’ve demonstrated…
New laser charging system could offer safe cordless power for mobile devices and sensors. Imagine walking into an airport or grocery store and your smartphone automatically starts charging. This could be a reality one day, thanks to a new wireless laser charging system that overcomes some of the challenges that have hindered previous attempts to develop safe and convenient on-the-go charging systems. “The ability to power devices wirelessly could eliminate the need to carry around power cables for our phones…
Study will sharpen understanding of precipitation’s influence on aerosols in the atmosphere. A new $620,000, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will enable a University of Kansas atmospheric scientist to research how aerosols, clouds and precipitation interact over ocean waters, with the goal of producing more accurate Earth System Models. Lead researcher David Mechem, professor and chair of geography & atmospheric science at KU, will use a wide array of data collected at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM)…
Preeclampsia is a condition that affects the placenta during pregnancy and is dangerous for both the fetus and the mother. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Inserm and the CNRS have proposed a new therapy, tested in two rodent models, that corrects the defects identified in placental cells, and restores placental and fetal weight. The treatment successfully lowers blood pressure in the mother and resolves the characteristic preeclampsia symptoms of excess protein in urine and cardiovascular abnormalities. The research was published…
What we perceive might sometimes reflect the outcome of a value-based decision-making process, a new analysis of the literature suggests. Although visual perception might seem as easy as just opening our eyes and reporting what is out there, the underlying computations are surprisingly complex. One of the more revealing ways to study these computations is by using inputs that are ambiguous or even impossible under normal circumstances (for instance with radically different pictures seen by the two eyes). Faced with…
Simulations show steam kills bacteria on a plate in 25 seconds without soap. Conventional dishwashers often do not kill all the harmful microorganisms left on plates, bowls, and cutlery. They also require long cycle times that use large quantities of electricity, and the soap pumped in and out is released into water sources, polluting the environment. Superheated steam dishwashers could provide a more effective, environmentally friendly solution. In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the Technical University of…
Physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have managed to entangle more than a dozen photons efficiently and in a defined way. They are thus creating a basis for a new type of quantum computer. In order to effectively use a quantum computer, a larger number of specially prepared – in technical terms: entangled – basic building blocks are needed to carry out computational operations. A team of physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in…
… for next-generation quantum and electronic devices. New approach leverages artificial intelligence to augment automated experiments. Two-dimensional materials, which consist of a single layer of atoms, exhibit unusual properties that could be harnessed for a wide range of quantum and microelectronics systems. But what makes them truly special are their flaws. “That’s where their true magic lies,” said Alexander Weber-Bargioni at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Defects down to the atomic level can influence the material’s…
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