Start of the EU Project MUNDFAB Progressing development of big data and mobility applications as well as of the Internet of Things requires the further miniaturization of electronic circuits. Sophisticated manufacturing techniques for computer chips, such as the sequential 3D integration of devices, are a key to success. In addition to experimental investigations, the use of simulation programs is of particular importance: Simulations allow significant cost and time savings in the development of new technologies and devices. The improvement of…
A joint research team led by Prof. WANG Hui and Prof. LIN Wenchu from the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science developed a synthesis of metal-free multifunctional therapeutic reagents, called graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots embedded in carbon nanosheets (CNQD-CN), via a one-step hydrothermal treatment. Metal-free multifunctional nanomaterials have broad application prospects in integrated cancer diagnosis and treatment. The team took an organic solvent (formamide) as the carbon and nitrogen source and then developed CNQD-CN….
A team of astronomers from the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) in Pune, and the Raman Research Institute (RRI), in Bengaluru, has used the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) to measure the atomic hydrogen content of galaxies seen as they were 8 billion years ago, when the universe was young. This is the earliest epoch in the universe for which there is a measurement of the atomic gas content of galaxies. This research has been published in the…
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have developed a new way to diagnose diseases of the blood like sickle cell disease with sensitivity and precision and in only one minute. Their technology is smaller than a quarter and requires only a small droplet of blood to assess protein interactions, dysfunction or mutations. The team published its results Oct. 15 in the journal Small. “In Africa, sickle cell disease is the cause…
Scientists develop a technique that improves the resolution of cryo-electron microscopy. We’ve all seen that moment in a cop TV show where a detective is reviewing grainy, low-resolution security footage, spots a person of interest on the tape, and nonchalantly asks a CSI technician to “enhance that.” A few keyboard clicks later, and voila – they’ve got a perfect, clear picture of the suspect’s face. This, of course, does not work in the real world, as many film critics and…
Innovative insulating materials made of shape memory polymers are developed and tested by the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Polymer Research IAP, for Chemical Technology ICT and for Building Physics IBP within the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Programmable Materials CPM. The high-tech foams are to be used as functional materials, for example in the field of construction. The air conditioning of enclosed work, recreational and living spaces is of great social importance in industrialized countries. On average, people spend more than…
The brain and its functions still pose many open questions. One of them is how exactly we form long-term memories about the environment. In a new study Ryuichi Shigemoto and his group from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) together with researchers from Aarhus University and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan discovered a new signaling pathway in the hippocampus area of the brain that regulates how information about new environments is transferred into long-term…
The stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) is abundantly found worldwide and resembles the common housefly. The biggest difference is that the stable fly has a bayonet-like proboscis for blood sucking. While feeding, these flies can transmit diseases to the host animals, including humans. A Vetmeduni Vienna study has now investigated the extent to which pigs are at risk of disease transmitted by the stable fly. The stable fly is frequently found in animal farms. The blood-sucking insect is anything but harmless,…
In the global race to measure ever shorter time spans, physicists from Goethe University Frankfurt have now taken the lead: together with colleagues at the accelerator facility DESY in Hamburg and the Fritz-Haber-Institute in Berlin, they have measured a process that lies within the realm of zeptoseconds for the first time: the propagation of light within a molecule. A zeptosecond is a trillionth of a billionth of a second (10 exp -21 seconds). In 1999, the Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail…
Possible pathway to fast-switching, ultra-low energy electronics based on 2D materials. Moore’s law is an empirical suggestion describing that the number of transistors doubles every few years in integrated circuits (ICs). However, Moore’s law has started to fail as transistors are now so small that the current silicon-based technologies are unable to offer further opportunities for shrinking. One possibility of overcoming Moore’s law is to resort to two-dimensional semiconductors. These two-dimensional materials are so thin that they can allow the…
Treatment with a peptide that mimics the naturally occurring protein GIV prevents immune overreaction, supports a mechanism critical for survival in mouse models of sepsis and colitis. The immune response to infections is a delicate balance. We need just enough action to clear away the offending bacteria or viruses, but not so much that our own bodies suffer collateral damage. Macrophages are immune cells at the front line, detecting pathogens and kicking off an inflammatory response when needed. Understanding how…
A European network, which aims to develop human-centered AI with ethical values, has been launched under the leadership of DFKI. HumanE-AI-Net brings together top European research centres, universities and key industrial champions in a network of centres of excellence which will develop a truly human-centric brand of European AI and strengthen Europe’s position in global competition. This ambitious project, which is being funded by the European Union initially for three years, started in early September. Trustworthy AI with comprehensible decisions “To be accepted by…
Researchers unravel the healing mechanisms of extracellular vesicles and demonstrate their healing power on a heart-on-a-chip. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) — nanometer sized messengers that travel between cells to deliver cues and cargo — are promising tools for the next generation of therapies for everything from autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases to cancer and tissue injury. EVs derived from stem cells have already been shown to help heart cells recover after a heart attack, but exactly how they help and whether the…
Scientists design a novel quantum circuit that calculates the fast Fourier transform, an indispensable tool in all fields of engineering. The Fourier transform is an important mathematical tool that decomposes a function or dataset into a its constituting frequencies, much like one could decompose a musical chord into a combination of its notes. It is used across all fields of engineering in some form or another and, accordingly, algorithms to compute it efficiently have been developed–that is, at least for…
Climate change poses a threat to the world’s subsistence crops. Heatwaves, which are likely to intensify according to climate evolution predictions, are generating levels of heat stress that are damaging to agricultural production. Identifying resistant crop varieties is therefore crucial to ensuring people’s food security and farmers’ resilience. To date, many studies have been conducted on varietal improvement, which involves developing and selecting plants with the required characteristics. Few, however, have examined intraspecific diversity, which is defined as the degree…
The most important pathogenicity factors of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori are centrally regulated by a small RNA molecule, NikS. And this was not the only surprise that NikS provided. More than half of the world’s population carries the bacterium Helicobacter pylori in their stomach mucosa. It often causes no problems throughout life, but sometimes it can cause inflammation, and in some cases, it can even lead to the development of stomach cancer. Helicobacter pylori uses several “virulence” factors that…
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