#Water Droplet-Powered Computers Could Run Mini Science labs A computer made using water and magnets can move droplets around inside itself like clockwork,
researchers say. The device demonstrates a new way to merge computer calculations with the manipulation of matter, scientists added.
Whereas conventional microelectronics shuffle electrons around wires, in recent years, scientists have begun developing so-called microfluidic devices that shuffle liquids around pipes.
These devices can theoretically perform any operation a conventional electronic microchip can. Although microfluidic devices are dramatically slower than conventional electronics,
the goal is not to compete with electronic computers on traditional computing tasks such as word processing. Rather
the aim is to develop a completely new class of computers to precisely control matter.
Super-Intelligent Machines: 7 Robotic Futures"The fundamental limits of computation, such as how fast you can go
or how small devices can be, are based in how information has to be represented in physical entities,
"study co-author Manu Prakash, a biophysicist at Stanford university, told Live Science.""We flipped that idea on its head why can't we use computations to manipulate physical entities?"
"Current applications for microfluidic chips include serving as miniaturized chemistry and biology laboratories. Instead of performing experiments with dozens of test tubes, each droplet in a lab-on-a-chip can serve as a microscopic test tube,
enabling scientists to conduct thousands of experiments simultaneously, but requiring a fraction of the time, space, materials, cost and effort of a conventional laboratory.
But one major drawback of microfluidic devices is that the droplets of liquid are controlled usually one at a time.
Although Prakash and his colleagues previously demonstrated a way to control many droplets on a microfluidic chip simultaneously
The key was using a rotating magnetic field, like a clock. The core of the new microfluidic chip,
which is about half the size of a postage stamp, consists of tiny, soft, magnetic nickel-iron-alloy bars arranged into mazelike patterns.
these droplets were infused with tiny magnetic particles only nanometers, or billionths of a meter, wide.
Next, the researchers turned on a rotating magnetic field. Each time the magnetic field reversed, the bars flipped, drawing the magnetized droplets along specific directions,
the researchers said. Each rotation of the magnetic field was very much like a cycle on a clock for instance,
a second hand making a full circle on a clock face. The rotating magnetic field ensured that every droplet ratcheted precisely one step forward with each cycle, moving in perfect synchrony.
A camera recorded the movements and interactions of all the droplets. The presence of a droplet in any given space represents a one in computer data
while the absence of a drop represents a zero; interactions among the droplets are analogous to computations,
the researchers said. The layout of the bars on these new microfluidic chips is analogous to the layout of circuits on microchips, controlling interactions among the droplets.
So far, the droplets in this device are as little as 100 microns wide, the same size as the average width of a human hair.
"Making the droplets smaller will allow the chip to carry out more operations, "Prakash said. The researchers now plan to make a design tool for these droplet circuits available to the public,
to enable everyone to design new circuits based on building blocks we describe in this paper, or to discover new blocks,
Follow Live Science@livescience, Facebook & Google+.+Originally published on Live Science c
#Elusive New Pentaquark Particle Discovered After 50-Year Hunt After 50 years, the hunt is over.
and Gell-Mann's work won the Nobel prize in physics in 1969. But crunching the numbers in Gell-Mann's theory also led to the conclusion that other
Over the past several decades, people have seen hints of pentaquarks in experimental data, but those all turned out to be false leads.
However, while analyzing data from these collisions, researchers noticed spikes that suggested the lambda B baryons took a pit stop on the way to decaying to these other three particles, transitioning into other, intermediate particles on the way."
"said study co-author Tomasz Skwarnicki, a physicist at Syracuse University in New york. Based on the LHC data,
Follow Tia Ghose on Twitterand Google+.+Follow Live Science@livescience, Facebook & Google+.+Original article on Live Science i
#Novel Use of WI-FI Signals to Power Remote Devices, named Powi-Fi The scientists from the University of Washington have devised a method to utilize Wi-fi signals to power a battery-free camera,
demonstrating the possibility of using Wi-fi signals to broadcast power to remote devices. They have named the new approach as'Powi-Fi'signifying'power over Wi-fi'.
'In a report published in the MIT Technology Review, Vamsi Talla, an Indian origin scientist along with colleagues at the University of Washington in Seattle have asserted that Wi-fi radio broadcasts are a form of energy
and a simple antenna with the receivers can pick up this energy. Talla demonstrated his claim by connecting an antenna to a temperature sensor
and placing it close to a Wi-fi router. The resulting voltage in the device was measured then
and it was observed for how long the device can operate on the remote power source. When the team connected a camera to their antenna
the results were remarkable. Talla informed,"The battery-free camera can operate up to about five meters from the router,
with an image capture every 35 minutes"."Talla further said that by adding a rechargeable battery,
the operating distance of the camera was increased to seven meters. Moreover, the researcher claimed that the router could even power the camera through a brick wall.
The team also used Wi-fi signals to charge a Jawbone fitness device from a no-charge state to 41%charged state in 2. 5 hours.
The MIT report stated that power-over-Wi-fi could be the enabling technology that finally brings the'Internet of things'to life e
#World First Evaporation-driven Engine created, Harvesting Power from Vapours The clean energy sources have got an addition on their list,
with the researches at the University of Columbia devising the world's first evaporation-driven engine that runs by harvesting energy from the evaporating water.
The study published in the journal Nature Communications today employed the bacterial spores to harness this energy.
Peter Fratzl, biomaterial researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, stated, "This is not the first time that evaporation energy has been captured,
but it is the first time that it has been done a scale where objects could be moved. The work pushes a great idea all the way into a practical demonstration of the potential".
"The technology has been developed by a team of bioengineers led by Ozgur Sahin at Columbia University by making use of the property of bacterial spores,
which swell upon absorption of water and contract when they lose water. When billions of these spores were glued together on several plastic tapes called HYDRAS (hygroscopic-driven artificial muscles),
their movement was used to create energy that powered an engine which could run LED LIGHTS and even drive a miniature car!
Sahin informed that his system could be hundreds times cheaper to build per unit area than solar tapping,
and the engine costs less than $5 to build. Fratzl further asserted that this is a very impressive breakthrough as the engine is essentially harvesting useful amounts of energy from the infinitely small
and naturally occurring gradients near the surface of water. The best fact is that these tiny temperature gradients exist everywhere, even in some of the most remote places On earth h
#Novel Approach for Lithium-ion Batteries Researchers from MIT and Cambridge, Mass. -based Battery Company 24m have come up with an advanced manufacturing technology for lithium-ion batteries.
Researchers have claimed of reinvented the process for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries. Not much change has been noticed in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries in the two decades.
Yet-Ming Chiang, the Kyocera Professor of Ceramics at MIT, was of the view that the existing technology is not perfect
and there is a need to made advancements. Five years back, Chiang and colleagues developed the new process.
In the process, the electrodes are suspensions of small particles carried by a liquid and pumped through different compartments of the battery.
Scientists said that the new battery design is a hybrid between flow batteries and conventional ones.
The research published in the Journal of Power Sources unveiled that the new approach has simplified manufacturing.
Also, the batteries become flexible and resistant to damage. Research paper'senior author Chiang said that after presenting the earlier research on the flow battery,
"We realized that a better way to make use of this flowable electrode technology was to reinvent the lithium ion manufacturing process".
"In the new method, the electrode material remained in a liquid state. Having the electrode in the form of tiny suspended particles reduces the path length for charged particles as they move through the material, a property known as tortuosity.
Less tortuous path simplifies production and proves cost effective. The new system leads to the production of battery that is more flexible and resilient.
Around 10,000 batteries have been made by the company on its prototype assembly lines. They will undergo testing by three industrial partners s
#Polymide aerogel combines toughness with light weight Claimed to be the first commercially available polyimide aerogel,
Aerozero combines the physical and toughness properties of plastic films with the insulation properties of aerogels, says Blueshift International Materials.
It creates a strong yet lightweight, thin, clean and flexible insulator for applications in a range of industries, including aerospace, oil and gas, RF-radar, automotive and building materials.
The 100%polyimide polymer construction eliminates dusting and the requirement for dangerous handling protocols, making it clean and safe.
It can withstand extreme high temperatures as well as cryogenic temperatures, providing aerogel-level thermal conductivity and excellent acoustic insulation.
The company claims its insulating characteristics are second only to vacuums and density is approximately 85%lower than traditional polyimides.
It is provided in rolls up to 3ft wide and in varying lengths, and is available in thicknesses of five,
10 and and fibre-reinforces 10mil. Stock shapes are available in geometries up to 12 x 12 x 2inch thick k
#Mooring equipment gets shock absorbing capability At present high-value marine equipment is attached using chains and ropes that are pulled regularly taut
and potentially violently rattled causing wear on the chains and damage to attached equipment. As a result the Dynamic Tether Wave Protection System was developed to provide a level of shock absorption against the peak loads generated from harsh seas.
The system is designed to keep chains slightly taut and respond smoothly as they are stretched to the limit.
The energy-damping bellow is extruded using a Dupont Hytrel TPC-ET polyester thermoplastic elastomer with a tensile elastomer element made of a soft material with lower stiffness to deliver a low force response to the system.
The energy-dampening bellow is 1. 2m long 250mm in diameter and weighs 20kg. It is engaged as the tether reaches its maximum extension
which are a mainstay in the automotive industry and developed a highly functional bellow to handle the extreme load conditions
#Flexible devices are a step closer For wearable technology a truly flexible electronic device is the goal.
or a computer that can be folded up and carried on your person. This electron microscope image shows tiny nanoparticles of bismuth ferrite embedded in a polymer film.
The film enhances the unique electric and magnetic properties of bismuth ferrite and preserves these properties even when bent.
The researchers describe the film in a paper published in Applied Physics Letters AIP Publishing.
Flexible electronics have been hard to manufacture because many materials with useful electronic properties tend to be rigid.
and embedding them in flexible plastics. A team of physicists and engineers from South korea took the conventional approach of flexible design
and embed them in flexible plastics. The team used bismuth ferrite (Bifeo3. This material's electronic properties can be controlled by a magnetic field.
The researchers synthesized nanoparticles of bismuth ferrite and mixed them into a polymer solution. The solution was dried in a series of steps at increasing temperatures to produce a thin flexible film.
When the researchers tested the electric and magnetic properties of the film they found that their new material not only preserved
but improved the properties of bulk bismuth ferrite. Furthermore the improved properties remained even as the film was curved into a cylindrical shape.
Bulk bismuth ferrite has crucial problems for some applications such as a high leakage current which hinders the strong electric properties said Youngpak Lee a professor at Hanyang University in Seoul South korea.
Mixing nanoparticles of bismuth ferrite into a polymer improved the current-leakage problem and also gave the film flexible stretchable properties.
Multi-ferroric materials such as this could be used in high-density energy efficient memory and switches in wearable devices.
Author Caroline Hayes This material is protected by Findlay Media copyright See Terms and Conditions. One-off usage is permitted
but bulk copying is not. For multiple copies contact the sales team m
#Shaping Implantable Medical devices to Avoid Immune system Tiny medical implants that can ferry drugs, cells, or other therapies safely to sites of disease are already seeing the light of day.
Designing implantable devices that are ignored by the immune system can be a challenge, so we usually rely on materials that are naturally biocompatible.
At MIT, researchers have discovered that the size and shape of implantable microparticles is also important as to
whether the immune system will attack them. The team was developing implantable capsules that can hold pancreatic islet cells as a potential therapy for Type 1 diabetes.
It was important for the researchers to minimize the scarring around the implanted capsules to allow them to interface with the perfusing blood and release insulin as needed.
What investigators discovered is that spherical capsules 1. 5 millimeter in diameter were functional months after implantation in diabetic mice,
while those that are smaller, at. 5 mm wide, were engulfed completely by scarring, preventing them from sensing blood sugar and releasing insulin.
They also tested different shaped devices made out of glass, polystyrene, stainless steel, and polycaprolactone, a polyester, showing that the shape matters as well as the size e
#Injectable Hydrogel Material Serves as Scaffold to Heal Wounds At UCLA researchers have designed an injectable hydrogel scaffold that promotes wound healing by serving as a 3d platform within which new tissue can grow.
The interconnected material has tiny pores into which new cells can migrate and grow within,
as well as the overall chemical composition, allowing the material to be tailored to specific wounds. This is achieved using microfluidic methods methods that the researchers developed to produce the scaffolds.
Here an animation of how the new hydrogel works: Study in Nature Materials: Accelerated wound healing by injectable microporous gel scaffolds assembled from annealed building blockssource:
#Light Used to Control Larynx Muscle (VIDEO) In a world first, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany made a skeletal muscle of a mouse contract in response to light.
The team introduced a gene into a mouse that codes for a protein normally produced by light sensing blue-green algae.
The protein controls algae motion when light strikes it, but by producing it within the mouse own cells,
it has the same effect of contracting muscle cells when illuminated by light. The researchers specifically focused on the larynx that they removed from the mouse
so that light can be delivered correctly. The hope is that this new application of optogenetics to voluntary muscles will help in medical research
particularly for new therapies to combat motor neuron disease. Here we show direct optogenetic stimulation of skeletal muscle from transgenic mice expressing the light-sensitive channel Channelrhodopsin-2 (Chr2.
Largest tetanic contractions are observed with 5-ms light pulses at 30z, resulting in 84%of the maximal force induced by electrical stimulation.
We demonstrate the utility of this approach by selectively stimulating with a light guide individual intralaryngeal muscles in explanted larynges from Chr2-transgenic mice,
which enables selective opening and closing of the vocal cords. Furthermore, systemic injection of adeno-associated virus into wild-type mice provides sufficient Chr2 expression for optogenetic opening of the vocal cords.
Thus, direct optogenetic stimulation of skeletal muscle generates large force and provides the distinct advantage of localized
and cell-type-specific activation. Here a video of a mouse larynx being opened and closed in response to light g
#Rice Microendoscope Hopes to Make Esophageal Biopsies Thing of Past (VIDEO) At Rice university engineers have been working on making certain biopsies unnecessary by imaging suspected tissues without excising them.
The microendoscope device provides a high resolution image of tissues down to the level of individual cells,
offering a view of the cellular morphology that can show signs of the presence of cancer.
In a study conducted in the U s . and China of patients suspected of having malignant squamous cell tumors,
the device was used alongside a regular endoscope. Results of biopsies ordered after a traditional endoscopic imaging were compared with the results from the microendoscope.
These showed that the technology is capable of sparing patients unnecessary biopsies and can be used alongside traditional Lugol chromoendoscopy for diagnosing esophageal squamous cell neoplasia.
Some details from the study in journal Gastroenterology: In this prospective trial, 147 consecutive high-risk patients were enrolled from two US and two Chinese tertiary centers.
Three expert and four novice endoscopists performed white light endoscopy followed by LCE and HRME. All optical images were compared to gold standard of histopathology.
Using a per biopsy analysis, sensitivity of LCE vs. LCE+HRME was 96%vs. 91%(p=0. 0832), specificity 48%vs. 88%(p<0. 001), PPV 22%vs 45%(p
<0. 0001), NPV 98%vs. 98%(p=0. 3551), and overall accuracy 57%vs. 90%(p<0. 001).
With use of HRME, 136 biopsies (60%;%95%CI: 53-66%)could have been spared, and 55 patients (48%;
38-57%)spared any biopsy y
#Robotic Arm System Senses Quadriplegic Man Intentions for Movement Control Brain-computer interfaces have been used in the past to control prosthetic devices.
They have focused on reading signals from the motor cortex, the part of the brain responsible for movement. The signals arising there,
In a study on one paralyzed patient, two implants, each having 96 electrodes, each of which sample one neuron,
were implanted in the posterior parietal cortex. The researchers created software that processed and decoded the signals,
which then were converted into control signals to move the robotic arm. The investigators showed that sensing electric signals from the posterior parietal cortex can significantly improve the quality of the motion of robotic prostheses.
The next step the researchers are hoping to take is to gather data coming from both the motor cortex as well as the posterior parietal cortex
in order to improve the overall function prostheses controlled by brain computer interfaces. Here an example of the patient using the new robotic arm system controlled via the posterior parietal cortex:
somewhat unusual shape that was developed to offer greater comfort to those wearing the implant. It smaller than any other comparable device and unlike other primary cell systems, it comes with a wireless remote that can be used by the patient to adjust therapy options.
The device is programmed via the Illumina 3d software that takes into account the spatial positioning of the leads
as well as the electrical conductivity of the spinal cord and nearby tissue. Additionally, unlike other non-rechargeable spinal cord stimulators, the Precision Novi is able to provide different field shapes
and waveforms, including bursts and high frequency signals. From the announcement: he small size and novel shape of the Precision Novi implant improves patient comfort
and enables a very discreet subcutaneous placement, said Dr. Simon Thomson, a consultant in Pain Management and Neuromodulation at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals, UK. he simplicity of the programming software saves valuable time in the operating theatre,
efficiently allowing me to achieve and maintain comfortable therapy for my patients. Unlike any other primary cell system, the Precision Novi intuitive Illumina 3d neural targeting software incorporates three-dimensional lead location,
as well as the conductivity of the spinal cord and surrounding tissue. This point-and-click technology automatically calculates the optimal programming configuration to target the selected pain area.
Further unique for primary cell devices, Precision Novi is a Multiwave#Platform capable of delivering a variety of field shapes
and waveforms with or without paresthesia, including burst and higher rate frequencies. Here a Boston Sci video about the Precision Novi r
#Medtronic Minimed Connect Wirelessly Monitors CGM, Insulin Pump Medtronic just received FDA clearance and will soon make available its new Minimed Connect device to keep an eye on insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors.
The device wirelessly interfaces with Medtronic Minimed Minimed 530g with Enlite or the Minimed Paradigm Revel insulin pumps,
which in turn have access to continuous glucose monitor sensor data. All this is passed via Bluetooth to the patient smartphone,
where glucose charts and insulin injections are tracked automatically. The readings can be shared with loved ones and caretakers,
as well as with the patient physician for a more comprehensive assessment of the readings. The data can be viewed using a smartphone app or via a browser accessible website.
Moreover for increased safety, the app can automatically send out alerts to people on a list
when sugar levels are too high or too low, or when an alarm on the pump is addressed not quickly by the user.
The Minimed Connect device will be available for over-the-counter purchase for about $200. It is currently compatible with iphones and ipod Touch devices,
while an Android app is already in the works. Product page: Minimed Connectource: Medtronic d
#Gastrisail Lights Up Stomach from Within for Accurate Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedures Medtronic just released in the U s. the Gastrisail gastric positioning system for sleeve gastrectomy procedures.
Since there no need to swap tools, the procedure can move along faster without the potential risk of unnecessary injury to the esophagus.
The device features a row of LED LIGHTS along one of its edges that once positioned within the stomach,
allows the surgeon to see its location from the outside. This provides the ability to align the dissection line accurately along the light path
in a statement said Chris Barry, senior vice president and president of the Surgical Innovations business, Minimally Invasive Therapies Group at Medtronic. orking very closely with Dr. Trivedi, we were able to develop the Gastrisail system as a unique solution that promotes consistency of the sleeve,
but also procedural efficiency. roduct page: Gastrisailource: Medtronic o
#Scientists Grow, Link Up Brain cells for First time in a Lab While most differentiated cells can be made to live on their own,
so researchers at the Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch of National institutes of health have been working at making that happen in a laboratory environment.
Study in journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience: A new technique for modeling neuronal connectivity using human pluripotent stem cellsource:
IOS Press r
#World First Prosthetic Leg With Real Sense of Feeling Researchers at the University of Applied sciences Upper Austria are reporting the installation of the first prosthetic leg with the ability of letting the wearer feel the ground beneath.
The device has sensors at the bottom of the soles that detect pressure differences applied throughout the foot.
Before the fitting, the patient had targeted a sensory reinnervation procedure performed that transferred nerves in order to reactivate the nerves that led to the original foot.
The sensors in the prosthetic are therefore now able to send their data, via converted signals, to the nerves and so create actual natural sensations of
what a real foot would feel when walking over terrain. They showed, at least in the initial patient,
that the technology allowed the wearer of the prosthetic to be able to more easily walk, climb,
The researchers believe that these new advancements will also help alleviate phantom limb pain by actually using the nerves that used to work with now missing feet t
Collagen has been considered a good candidate for such work due to its low toxicity and biocompatibility, but it been hard to shape it into formations that are structurally strong enough for many applications.
and smooth muscles cells and having the cells culture for a period of up to two weeks in a static bioreactor.
Following this, the resulting product was transferred to a rotating-wall bioreactor where an endothelium layer,
Because of its high flexibility, the stent has shown to be positioned easily across different lesions while and maintaining its strength over considerable time periods.
or equal 2. 4). 88.6%freedom from target lesion revascularization, as measured at one-year using Kaplan-Meier analysis s
#Researchers Unveil Surface Sampling Probe for Intraoperative Biopsies The Oak ridge National Laboratory, known best for nuclear weapons research,
has developed a surface sampling probe that may replace professional pathologists in identifying cancerous tissue during surgeries.
Currently, samples are taken to the pathology lab to confirm that all of the cancer has been removed. This takes considerable time,
extended by the preparation process necessary before the pathologist looks into the microscope. The new probe hopes to do the same,
The device uses a droplet-based mass spectrometry technique that is able to spot even large biomolecules such as proteins
and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from normal human pituitary gland and pituitary adenoma tissue sections, using a fully automated droplet-based liquid-microjunction surface-sampling-HPLCSI-MSS system for spatially resolved sampling, HPLC separation,
Excellent correlation was found between the protein distribution data obtained with this method and data obtained with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) chemical imaging analyses of serial sections of the same tissue.
The protein distributions correlated with the visible anatomic pattern of the pituitary gland. AVP was most abundant in the posterior pituitary gland region (neurohypophysis
and non-secreting pituitary adenomas correlated with histopathological evaluation a
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