a Syracuse University team funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), wasn't specifically looking for them.
According to Syracuse physicist Sheldon Stone, graduate student Nathan Jurik was studying the decay of a different particle
"We asked a graduate student to examine what we thought was an uninteresting and minor source of background events,
But quarks are even smaller particles--the building blocks of protons, neutrons and other subatomic particles known as baryons.
"Benefitting from the large data set provided by the LHC, and the excellent precision of our detector, we have examined all possibilities for these signals,
and conclude that they can only be explained by pentaquark states, "said LHCB physicist Tomasz Skwarnicki of Syracuse University,
whose research group was a leader in the analysis."More precisely the states must be formed of two up quarks, one down quark, one charm quark and one anti-charm quark."
which supports the research through nine awards to scientists from Syracuse University, the University of Maryland College Park, the Massachusetts institute of technology and the University of Cincinnati working at the Large hadron collider."
#Fiber optic sensors developed for distributed temperature sensing The high-density fiber array sensors are suited to harsh environment processes
Over recent years, Proximion has been developing complete temperature monitoring systems including interrogator and analysis software on an OEM basis. In addition to the launch of Wistheat,
By combining Wistheat optical sensors with the Wistsense interrogator Proximion partners and customers can now design advanced systems for distributed temperature sensing.
The Wistheat series can be customized fully to meet any demands on sensor array length, separation of sensor elements or choice of wavelength.
In the standard configuration the optical sensors are packaged in a hermetically-sealed stainless steel tube with an outer diameter of 800 m. This configuration provides a thermal constant as low as 70 ms and long term stability up to 600°C (1,
100°F). All Proximion fiber optical sensors are based on the Fiber Bragg Grating technology with a standard spacing between sensing elements of 5mm.
Proximion showcased the Wistheat series at the Sensor+Test exhibition (19-21 may 2015) in Nürnberg
igh density fiber array sensors for temperature monitoring 600°C and high speed interrogator with 10,000 temperature readouts per secondvideo Proximion is not only the manufacturer of the world's longest continuous FBGS,
it also manufactures FBG-interrogators and sensor packaging. In fact, everything from development to design and manufacturing is conducted at the company HQ in Kista, Sweden.
#US Air force contracts 3d Systems to make next-gen components 3d Systems is taking part in a $1. 3 million contract to develop cutting-edge aircraft heat exchanger to be manufactured using 3d printing.
Led by Honeywell International, a leading manufacturer of heat exchangers, this project will utilize 3ds's Direct Metal Printing technology as well as the additive manufacturing and materials expertise of Penn State's Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3d).
3ds commented that such qualified use of additive manufacturing ill not only revolutionize jet engine manufacturing, but it will also open this technology to a multibillion-dollar heat exchanger market.
The project, set to commence in mid-2015, builds off earlier contracts announced in February (see below) to enable wider adoption of 3ds'metal technologies within aerospace companies.
Administered by America Makes and funded by the Air force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the contract underscores 3ds'technological leadership and proven defense/aerospace manufacturing track record.
John Wilczynski, America Makes Deputy Director of Technology Development, commented, dditive manufacturing offers design freedoms that are simply not possible using traditional manufacturing process.
As a result, both the Air force and the defense industry are poised to benefit greatly from this directed project.
and aerospace companyith the hard data necessary to evaluate the technology. Further, it is expected that this project's results could accelerate validation of 3ds'manufacturing capability as a new component of Honeywell's supply chain.
Neal Orringer, Vice president of Alliances & Partnerships 3ds.""This contract selection will allow our team to deliver to the Air force innovative, high-performing heat exchangers,
and will provide valuable data on part strength, pressure resistance and performance."#"#In February, 3d Systems was awarded two research contracts worth over $1 million,
to develop advanced aerospace and defense 3d printing manufacturing capabilities t a convincing scale The contracts were administered also by America Makes
and Direct Metal 3d printing capabilities to meet the high standards of production demanded by the US Air force.
Together with some of the nation leading military suppliersncluding Honeywell, Northrop grumman, and Lockheed Martind Systems was contracted to develop a precision closed loop
and advanced manufacturing and monitoring platform, designed to deliver the accuracy, functionality and repeatability specifications demanded for flight-worthy aerospace parts.
The first contract is led by 3ds, in partnership with the University of Delaware Center for Composite Manufacturing,
Sandia National Laboratory and Lockheed martin. The project is designed to integrate predictive technologies with 3dssls 3d printers to dynamically monitor parts at the layer level during the manufacturing process,
The second contract in collaboration with the Applied Research Laboratory of Pennsylvania State university in partnership with Honeywell International and Northrop grumman, leverages 3dsdirect Metal 3d printing.
aerospace and defense manufacturers are expected to gain full control of the direct metal manufacturing process at the layer level,
delivering"fully dense, chemically-pure, flightworthy metals parts
#Precision optics deliver next-gen endoscopes A trio of companies has collaborated to develop a tiny new CMOS imaging module designed specifically for endoscopes.
Sensor specialist Omnivision Technologies the subject of a $1. 9 billion buyout led by a Chinese private equity group collaborated with US-headquartered Precision Optics Corporation (POC) and the Japanese firm Fujikura,
which is producing the module. Fujikura says that the new design, currently shipping in sample volumes and set for a production ramp next year, delivers agnificentimage quality despite boasting the smallest footprint in the industry.
More specifically, it produces 400x400 pixel images at a rate of 30 frames per second from a package with an outer diameter of just 1. 6 mm
and is said to be suitable for a wide range of endoscopic devices from bronchoscopes for lung examinations to laparoscopes used in keyhole surgery applications."
"This camera module has been designed specifically for medical applications with stringent biocompatibility, sterilization and electrical requirements,"said Shingo Ishii, group leader of the medical business development division at Fujikura.
He adds that the module very small footprint and power efficiency are critical features for such applications,
and hailed the xceptionalimage quality made possible by incorporating Omnivision's new OV6946 sensor and POC's micro precision lens.
and reusable endoscopes for minimally invasive medical procedures the standard wherever possible. Micro precision Based in Gardner, Massachusetts,
these devices can provide a field of view as wide as 120 degrees, a critical factor for endoscopy applications.
and optical micro-assemblies designed specifically for small CMOS-based medical camera systems. The company also showed off the innovation at last week Medical Design and Manufacturing (MD&M) event
Omnivision sales of sensors have long been dominated by the consumer electronics market, and particularly smart phone applications in recent years,
but the firm has been touting the medical sector as one that is ripe for growth. Tehzeeb Gunja, one of its senior marketing and business development managers, said of the Fujikura/POC collaboration:"
"Working alongside two companies with such a rich history of producing exceptional medical imaging technology is truly a privilege."
doctors are turning to smaller, reusable endoscopes to deliver the images and video required during a medical procedure."
"Currently, there are no other image sensors available that offer the level of high performance and image quality in such a compact and power-efficient form factor."
"The OV6946 chip is also available in sample quantities, with a volume ramp penciled in for the third quarter of this year h
#eyeselfie gives patients control over retinal imaging The optics behind fundus photography and the images of the retina that it delivers are relatively straightforward;
and an interactive UI to provide users with a visual fixation cue indicating when the alignment is correct-the first time interactive self-imaging of the retina has been demonstrated.
-and using less light than some existing infrared-based alignment procedures-the principles behind eyeselfie could also now be extended outside ophthalmology and into other sectors.
"In traditional approaches, where the image of a fixation target passes through only one point of the pupil
a user has no way of knowing if the edge of their pupil is occluding the image of the retina."
"The key development behind eyeselfie involves the idea of"virtual pinholes, "a simple light pattern seen by the user
and produced at their pupil. A novel interactive ray-based approach developed by the team allows images with the same field-of-view to be projected onto the retina simultaneously,
but pass through a different part of the eye's cornea, pupil and lens. Lateral and axial movement of the eye is perceived then by the user as a shift in this pattern of pinhole light."
"This is the first demonstration of a class of static light-field patterns in which the perceived image changes with eye relief
and lateral movement,"said Roesch.""Multi-view or glasses-free 3d displays have used a similar concept;
but this work differs because the perceived images change with small movements in the near-field."
"Another breakthrough involves the"eye box"-the spatial area within which the patient's pupil must remain
in order to sample all desired ray angles. Traditional systems, including applications found outside ophthalmology in head-mounted displays,
have tried to enlarge the eye box so that the image appears the same even for slight misalignments.
"Our design has a large'partial'eye box in the sense that it's easy for a user to see part of the pattern when partially aligned,
"That partial pattern indicates how the user needs to realign. We believe this is the first time such a'layered
"Global impact Challenges during the development process included finding a display approach that reduced any ambiguity about
Determining the common set of perceptual cues between different users and accounting for differences in pupil size and corneal shape was another important consideration.
With those hurdles now tackled, the general principle could be applied in a number of different scenarios.
Within ophthalmology, self-imaging would allow patients to take retina photos in their own home,
allowing clinicians to better observe changes after treatment or perhaps enabling new ways to monitor diabetes."
or improvements to the accuracy of biometric devices such as iris and retinal scanners,"noted Roesch."
"Furthermore, our light-field pattern can be incorporated readily into artificial reality headsets for self-calibration of near eye displays.
Emerging light-field-based near-eye displays could use such patterns for user alignment straight out of the box."
and perhaps be integrated with other health data. This could soon become a reality through LVPEI-MITRA,
and deploy the next generation of screening, diagnostic and therapeutic tools for eye care. One of these solutions will be eyemitra,
a mobile retinal imaging system intended to bring routine diagnostic retinal examinations-in particular for diabetic retinopathy-to developing countries where standards of eye care are low,
which in turn extends how far signals can travel in optical fiber without needing a repeater, said Nikola Alic, a research scientist from the Qualcomm Institute, the corresponding author on the Science paper and a principal of the experimental effort.
In lab experiments the UCSD researchers successfully deciphered information after it had travelled a record-breaking 12,000 km through fiber optic cables with standard amplifiers and no repeaters.
The team says that the new findings, ffectively eliminate the need for electronic regenerators placed periodically along a fiber link The electronic regeneration in modern lightwave transmission that carries between 80 to 200 channels also dictates the cost and,
more importantly, prevents the construction of a transparent optical network. As a result, eliminating periodic electronic regeneration will drastically change the economy of the network infrastructure, ultimately leading to cheaper and more efficient transmission of information.
The breakthrough in this study relies on wideband requency combsthat the researchers developed. The frequency comb ensures that the signal distortions?
crosstalkthat arise between bundled streams of information travelling through the optical fiber are predictable, and therefore, reversible at the receiving end of the fiber. rosstalk between communication channels within a fiber optic cable obeys fixed physical laws.
It not random. We now have a better understanding of the physics of the crosstalk.
In this study, we present a method for leveraging the crosstalk to remove the power barrier for optical fiber,
a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer engineering and the senior author on the Science paper. ur approach conditions the information before it is sent even,
so the receiver is caused free of crosstalk by the Kerr effect. he photonics experiments were performed at UCSD Qualcomm Institute by researchers from the Photonics Systems Group led by Radic.
The electrical engineers used their frequency comb to synchronize the frequency variations of the different streams of optical information,
called the ptical carrierspropagating through an optical fiber. This approach compensates in advance for the crosstalk that occurs between the multiple communication channels within the same optical fiber. fter increasing the power of the optical signals we sent by 20-fold,
we could still restore the original information when we used frequency combs at the outset,
first author on the paper and a UCSD electrical engineering Phd student. he frequency comb ensured that the system did not accumulate the random distortions that make it impossible to reassemble the original content at the receiver. he laboratory experiments involved setups with both three and five optical channels,
which interact with each other within the silica fiber optic cables. The researchers note that this approach could be used in systems with far more communication channels.
when it is sent through the optical fiber. With the frequency comb, the information can be unscrambled and fully restored at the receiving end of the optical fiber t
#Terahertz sensor achieves faster detection of hidden objects A new type of terahertz sensor, claimed to be much faster than competing technologies used to detect
and identify hidden objects, has been developed by scientists at the University of Warwick, UK. Called Q-Eye, the invention senses radiation across the terahertz (THZ) region of the spectrum between microwaves and infrared.
It works by detecting the rise in temperature produced when electromagnetic radiation emitted by the target object is absorbed by the Q-Eye sensor, even down to the level of a single photon.
The developers say that the device could help address the security weaknesses reported in the past month in America Transportation security Administration("TSA does not work"The Atlantic
where mock weapons and explosives were smuggled through airports, undetected in 95%of cases. The terahertz technology may also prove useful in discovering concealed goods in the retail industry or for non-destructive monitoring, for example quality control in drugs or food.
Other applications include astronomical and climate science observations and medical diagnosis. Professors in Warwick Nano-Silicon Group, Physics department, Evan Parker and Terry Whall, led the team
which developed the device. Professor Parker commented, e were surprised very when our first very crude prototype showed such impressive speed
and detection performance and our initial calculations indicated world-beating detector capability all this and using silicon."
"Speed is a big parameter in terahertz detection, higher speed enabling multifrequency imaging, and thereby better and more informative images and higher frame rate video for higher throughput.
For 300k devices temperature, K generally used in terahertz systems, response times are typically in range milli-to microseconds.
large numbers of detector chips containing designs matched to a particular application can easily be fabricated on 300mm wafers with great uniformity.
This revolutionary e-cooling process is the secret to Q-Eye sensor performance, enabling rapid imaging and material identification.
Professors Parker and Whall are currently working on a demonstrator of the device having been awarded a £100,
The work is moving out of academic research into the commercial world, offering opportunities for partnership
and Investment companies involved in the personnel screening market have expressed already interest in the Q-Eye device.
the university technology transfer business, has helped the professors to create a spin out company, Q-Eye Ltd,
and raise funding to develop the first commercial prototypes. Professor Parker told opitcs. org, erry Whall and myself are excited about this new company.
We anticipate that our terahertz device will have applications in personal security, scanning and various medical sectors.
Certain adaptations could be made to the device to allow diverse applications. We think that the market will open up
and of applications for terahertz technologies, underscored by a busy panel session at the LASER World of Photonics show in Munich.
Professor Parker continued e are hopeful that it will become a significant undertaking; it early days and we are an early-stage company.
We are still looking for further investors into Q-Eye so potential investors are invited to contact us. e differentiate ourselves from other terahertz systems suppliers
because the sensitivity of our sensor is much higher and our processing speed is greater than anything else in the marketplace at the moment.
#Improved, cheaper hybrid solar cell material created Researchers at Lithuania Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Organic chemistry department have developed a new semiconductor material,
ffers a much cheaper alternative to those currently used in hybrid solar cells The efficiency of the new semiconductor methoxydiphenylamine-substituted carbazole,
The work of the Kaunas team, led by Professor Vytautas Getautis, head of the chemistry research group,
The solar cells containing organic semiconductors created at KTU were constructed and tested by physicists at Lausanne. The tests revealed that the efficiency of the cellsconverting solar energy into electricity was 16.9%.
%Professor Getautis commented, he material created by us is considerably cheaper and the process of its synthesis is complicated less than that of the currently-used analog material.
Also, both materials have a similar efficiency of converting solar energy into electricity. That means that our semiconductors have similar characteristics to the known alternatives
but are much cheaper. he paper, jointly authored by KTU and EPFL (under Prof. Mohammad Nazeeruddin), describes the procedure thus:
he small-molecule-based hole-transporting material methoxydiphenylamine-substituted carbazole was synthesized and incorporated into a CH3NH3PBI3 perovskite solar cell,
which displayed a power conversion efficiency of 16.91, %the second highest conversion efficiency after that of Spiro-OMETAD. he investigated hole-transporting material was synthesized in two steps from commercially available and relatively inexpensive starting reagents.
Various electro-optical measurements were carried out to characterize the new material. rof Getautis said that the material will be used in the construction of future solar cells:
lmost all solar cells are made from inorganic semiconductors. Hybrid, semi-organic solar cells are still being developed and perfected at the research centers all over the world.
KTU and Swiss Federal Institute of technology Lausanne have registered the invention at the European Patent office. e concluded, n V886,
and we strongly believe that it can be also an ideal candidate for other optoelectronic applications such as OLEDS
and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. ur paper is among the 5%of most important publications in one of the most influential chemistry journals followed by all undertaking research in the field of chemistry.
will hopefully bring financial gain for the university. c
#Meet the LHC Latest Discovery, the Long-Sought Pentaquark The Large hadron collider, the world most powerful particle accelerator, has given physicists yet another gifthysical proof of the existence of the pentaquark,
Scientists at the LHCB detector, where they are researching what happened after the Big bang, recently found signs of the pentaquark in a powerful proton collision.
#Highly-Effective Ebola Vaccine Could Stymie Future Outbreaks Over 27,000 cases and 11561 deaths. The statistics that tell the story of the most recent Ebola outbreak are stark,
but a new number published today in the medical journal The Lancet may be even more significant.
That the conclusion of a study on an Ebola vaccine developed in a 10-month sprint by the Public health Agency of Canada
000 individuals in Guinea, are welcome news. Kimberley Steeds, an Ebola vaccine trial team member, in the Ebola vaccine laboratory, Donka Hospital in Conakry,
The vaccine is consists of a modified version of a different virus called VSV, which infects cows
making it a kind of sheep in wolf clothing. When injected into humans our immune system mounts a response to the modified VSV virus and,
the immune system recognizes and fights off the threat. The trials employed the same strategy used to contain smallpox called ing vaccination.
When a person comes down with the disease, health workers identify and vaccinate anyone likely to come in contact with the patient,
creating a ring of protection that hopefully keeps the virus contained and prevents it from spreading.
The new study evaluated the vaccine effectiveness by dividing recipients into two randomly assigned groups.
Half of the study participants received the vaccine as soon as one person they had been in contact withhether it was a relative, patient,
or someone elsead been diagnosed with Ebola. The other half received the vaccine after a delay of three weeks.
In the 2, 000 subjects receiving the immediate vaccination treatment, not one person contracted Ebola.
Based on these results, the immediate vaccination regimen was offered to all participants starting on July 26. Even with the vaccine apparent efficacy, the trial will continue so researchers can gather more information to license the vaccine for widespread use.
The study was orchestrated by a partnership including THE WHO, the Ministry of Health of Guinea Doctors Without Borders,
and many others, comprising a monumental scientific and logistical effort. Here James Gallagher, reporting for the BBC:
The sheer scale of the 2014-15 outbreak led to an unprecedented push on vaccines and a decade work has been condensed into around 10 months.
The numbers of Ebola outbreak cannot be erased, but the vaccine trials offer, for the first time, hope that such grim statistics will never be seen again n
#Amputees Can Now Control Their Bionic Prosthetic Limbs Using IMES Ossur, an Icelandic orthopaedics company, has developed tiny implanted myoelectric sensors (IMES) that helped amputees to control their bionic prosthetic limbs with the commands sent from their brain.
Ossur's Orthopedic surgeon and director of research and development, Thorvaldur implanted the tiny sensors into the residual muscle tissue of two amputees that they said is responsible for triggering the movement in the prosthesis via a receiver.
Ossur CEO Jon Sigurdsson said he was about to announce in Copenhagen on Wednesday, May 20 that the two amputees are the first in the world to be able to control their lower-limb prostheses
while being subconscious. He said that one of the patients Gummi Olafsson, lost his right foot and lower leg after a traffic accident during early childhood.
Olafsson, who is presently on trail with the new implants said the implants allowed him to control his bionic leg and foot almost instantly.
The Implanted Myoelectric Sensors (IMES) is 5 millimetres long and 3mm wide. IMES were provided by the United states-based Alfred Mann Foundation,
which develops medical technology for use in patients s
#Researchers develop new Algorithm to empower Robots to Learn like Humans New algorithms enable robots to learn motor tasks through trial and error, like humans.
Researchers recently gave a demonstration for the technology by assigning a robot to complete various tasks,
like homes or offices, is that those environments are constantly changing. The robot must be able to perceive
The algorithm gives rise to a new branch of artificial intelligence, known as deep learning. The researchers chose Berkeley Robot for the Elimination of Tedious Tasks (BRETT) to take up a challenge of dealing with a relatively promising form of artificial intelligence called deep structured learning.
The researchers have claimed that smaller amount of pre-programming is required when the algorithm is used in the robot.
Also, it provides the capacity to work outside controlled environments like medical centers factories or laboratories.
A team led by Pieter Abbeel, an associate professor in the campus electrical engineering and computer sciences department, developed the new algorithm.
Abbeel said the best thing about the technique is that it rids the need of reprogramming
when the robot comes across something new. Basis of BRETT is the neural circuitry of the human brain
which perceives and interacts with everything around it. Use of the algorithm is seen currently in voice recognition software,
such as the iphone's Siri
#New Algorithm enables Robot to Learn through Trial and error UC Berkeley's BRETT (Berkeley Robot for the Elimination of Tedious Tasks) is capable of learning through trial and error, like humans.
New algorithms developed by researchers empower the robot to master tasks through trial and error, ridding the need of pre-programming.
Among many tasks, it can perform is assembling a toy, and the best thing is it keeps trying figuring out the way to accomplish the task until it finally done.
The researchers are optimistic that the further development of the robotic technology will enable robots to handle lots of data.
The technology gives rise to artificial intelligence to allow robots to do anything their designs Allow for example
building something or playing a new sport. New algorithms developed by researchers from UC Berkeley brought this trial and error process to robots.
UC Berkeley said in a press release that the technology is a giant leap in the field of artificial intelligence.
The technology enables the robot to perform tasks like putting a clothes hanger on a rack without feeding details into it about its surrounding. he key is that
when a robot is faced with something new, we won have to reprogram it. The exact same software,
which encodes how the robot can learn, was used to allow the robot to learn all the different tasks we gave it said UC Berkeley Professor Pieter Abbeel.
The new technique will be presented by Abbeel and his fellow researchers at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Seattle on May 28.
According to Trevor Darrell, director of the Berkeley Vision and Learning Center, it is very essential to empower robots to learn
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