The valence of Mn changes from 4 to 3 under various conditions. Professor Hiromi Nakano of Toyohashi University of Technology used a material with a unique periodical structure (smart material: Li-M-Ti-O [M = Nb or Ta]) as a host material to synthesize new Mn4+-activated phosphors that exhibit red light emissions at 685 nm when excited at 493 nm. Because the valence of the Mn ions in the material changes from Mn4+ to Mn3+ according to the sintering temperature, composition, and…

A research team headed by biomedical engineer Dr Britta Trappmann from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, Germany, has developed a cell culture system in which, for the first time, a functional blood vessel system is able to grow within a framework made of synthetic material. The team investigated which material properties promote individual parameters of vessel formation – a step towards the futuristic vision of implantable artificial tissues. The study has been published in the journal…

In space, autonomous robots are supposed to fulfil diverse tasks. In order to meet the respective requirements, existing systems are strongly mission-specific. The downside: If the mission requirements change, a completely new development might be necessary. The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the University of Bremen want to initiate a paradigm shift in space robotics with the help of the recently launched ModKom project. By developing a modular system, the usually highly specialized robots are to be…

Quickly and precisely determining the flavor profile of cocoa samples. Because a plethora of flavor compounds contribute to the distinctive taste of cocoa, its composition is difficult to analyze. Now, scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Leibniz Institute of Food Systems Biology (LSB) have developed a new methodology that quickly, easily, and precisely quantifies the flavor profile of cocoa samples. The new method is already suitable for practical use in companies and can be applied at…

Brookhaven Lab and Princeton scientists team up to identify sources of loss of quantum information at the atomic scale. Engineers and materials scientists studying superconducting quantum information bits (qubits)—a leading quantum computing material platform based on the frictionless flow of paired electrons—have collected clues hinting at the microscopic sources of qubit information loss. This loss is one of the major obstacles in realizing quantum computers capable of stringing together millions of qubits to run demanding computations. Such large-scale, fault-tolerant systems could simulate complicated molecules…

Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and Leipzig University are currently using a tethered balloon to study the air layers near the ground in the Arctic, which play a major role in climate change in this region. The measurements should help to better understand the particularly strong warming of the Arctic and to map it more precisely in climate models. After the balloon system already proved itself in the summer on the international MOSAiC expedition, it is…

DFKI presents groundbreaking solution for AI-based system development. Whether in the factory, in the operating room or on Mars – the areas of application for modern robots are extremely diverse. This places enormous demands on the capabilities of the systems and leads to increasingly complex development processes. With the completion of the Q-Rock project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Robotics Innovation Center of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) presents a…

It doesn’t get more accurate than this! Measuring air humidity is important in many areas. However, conventional sensors in hygrometers have so far not been able to determine a very low water vapor content. Physicists at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and the Yuri Gagarin Technical University in Russia have now developed a new sensor. It detects even the smallest amounts of water molecules that sink to its surface. The detector is based on highly conductive materials known as MXenes….

To limit climate change, joint global efforts are needed and international alliances must be forged. Coordinated by Dr. Paul Jerabek (Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon) and Prof. Sally Brooker (University of Otago in Dunedin), a bilateral hydrogen alliance between New Zealand and Germany is now starting its work. Its goal is to establish a German-New Zealand research presence in New Zealand for research and further development of green hydrogen technologies. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research…

The Gutenberg Gait Database: Publicly accessible database provides a reference set of data to be used for the diagnosis and treatment of gait disorders / Further expansion of the database is planned. Gait disorders manifest themselves in various ways: One walks with small tripping steps, another drags a leg while walking. In one case, a foot does not roll over the sole of the foot, and in another, a foot is not lifted sufficiently but is rather dragged across the…

A team of researchers led by Nicole Pogodalla and Prof. Dr. Christian Klämbt from the Institute of Neuro- and Behavioral Biology at University of Münster now demonstrated for the first time an internal diffusion barrier in the brain of fruit flies – in addition to the already known blood-brain barrier. The neurons, located in the brain are interconnected in a complex pattern and establish special communication points, the synapses. All neurons require a constant environment in order to function reliably….

Novel optical resonator can track the movement of nanoparticles in space. Conventional microscopes produce enlarged images of small structures or objects with the help of light. Nanoparticles, however, are so small that they hardly absorb or scatter light and, hence, remain invisible. Optical resonators increase the interaction between light and nanoparticles: They capture light in smallest space by reflecting it thousands of times between two mirrors. In case a nanoparticle is located in the captured light field, it interacts thousands…

A new “image analysis pipeline” is giving scientists rapid new insight into how disease or injury have changed the body, down to the individual cell. It’s called TDAExplore, which takes the detailed imaging provided by microscopy, pairs it with a hot area of mathematics called topology, which provides insight on how things are arranged, and the analytical power of artificial intelligence to give, for example, a new perspective on changes in a cell resulting from ALS and where in the…

Researchers of the Cluster of Excellence 3D Matter Mode to Order show how 3-dimensional nanostructures can be printed using compact desktop devices – publication in Nature Photonics. Lasers in conventional laser printers for paper printouts are very small. 3D laser printers for 3-dimensional microstructures and nanostructures, by contrast, have required big and expensive laser systems so far. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Heidelberg University now use another process for this purpose. Two-step absorption works with inexpensive…

Researchers study cosmic expansion using methods from many-body physics / Article published in “Physical Review Letters”. It is almost always assumed in cosmological calculations that there is a even distribution of matter in the universe. This is because the calculations would be much too complicated if the position of every single star were to be included. In reality, the universe is not uniform: in some places there are stars and planets, in others there is just a void. Physicists Michael…

A pioneering study has revealed how cellular compartments (organelles) are able to control how much they interact and cooperate. The study, led by Professor Michael Schrader and Dr Joseph Costello from the University of Exeter, builds on their recent discovery of how two cell organelles – called peroxisomes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) – associate with each other and work together. This cooperation is crucial for the production of specific lipids, which are essential for the function of nerve cells…

Research team develops new strategy to create molecular compounds without multi-step syntheses. For organic synthesis, i.e. for the production of carbon-based compounds, it is important to develop synthesis processes by which the desired product can be obtained in good yield. At the same time, the processes should be sustainable: for example, they should use environmentally friendly and readily available reagents, generate little waste and consume little energy. New synthesis processes that meet these criteria can serve as a springboard for…

The English Channel prevents many rockpool species “making the jump” from Europe to the UK, new research shows. With sea temperatures expected to rise due to climate change, many rockpool species in south-west England are threatened. Creatures from warmer waters to the south could replace them – but the study, by the University of Exeter, suggests Channel currents mean many animals and plants cannot survive the crossing. The study focussed on the St Piran’s hermit crab, which appeared in Cornwall…

Smoke from wildfires could increase ozone depletion in the upper layers of the atmosphere and thus further enlarge the ozone hole over the Arctic. This was recognized according to data from the international MOSAiC expedition, which studied the region around the North Pole in 2019/20. A connection between unusually high temperatures, severe droughts and increasing wildfires with a lot of smoke in the lower stratosphere and strong ozone depletion over the polar regions is likely. If this assumption is confirmed,…

Project consortium presents powerful IT infrastructure for innovative dual-arm AUV. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), operated and controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) methods, inspect, maintain, and repair offshore installations underwater. A consortium led by the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) developed a holistic solution in the Mare-IT project to make this vision a reality: an innovative, two-armed AUV for complex inspection and maintenance tasks, embedded in a powerful IT infrastructure that enables both intuitive control and monitoring of the…