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Sunday 19 October 2014

Scientists will currently simulate arched frame of reference during a science lab

Posted by Unknown on 01:14 No comments
When discussing natural philosophy, you’ll typically hear a the phrase “quantum field theory” thrown regarding. This refers to the overall concept that quantum particles are literally simply localized excited states of a additional general quantum field underlying them — a trippy however mathematically helpful concept that interacts with Einstein’s classical conception of frame of reference in ways in which ar advanced, to mention that least. Gravity, thus says dogma, is that the results of curvature within the ineffable medium of frame of reference, and fashionable natural philosophy says that arched frame of reference got to impact the behavior of a theoretical  quantum field somehow. exactly however they act is associate open question, and respondent that question has been delineate because the goblet of physics. It’s presently terribly tough to review those interactions within the science lab, however which will be close to amendment.
Curving frame of reference is incredibly tough to try and do, synthetically. It’s straightforward enough through the classical suggests that — collect a bunch of mass somewhere — however to come up with a curve steep enough to own measurable effects on single quantum particles needs densities found solely close to black holes and also the like. c frame of reference during a additional direct means, with magnetic fields or “exotic matter,” has been projected in halls as holy as those at National Aeronautics and Space Administration — however such technology would enable North American nation to create a literal warp drive, and  if humanity had patterned that out you’d have examine it here by currently. No, rather than working out a way to really curve frame of reference, a German research worker named Nikodem Szpak could have found a loophole that lets North American nation study the results of arched frame of reference while not having to truly curve it.
To go forward with this story, you’ll got to either acquire a high-level arithmetic degree or settle for the subsequent statement on trust: ultra-cold atoms (and since heat is simply atomic movement, you'll be able to primarily scan that as ultra-stationary atoms) caught {in a|during a|in an exceedingly|in a terribly} very specific optical lattice (laser-field) behave overall during a means which will be associated with the movement of quantum particles through frame of reference. That’s an enormous statement, thus let’s undergo it piece by piece.First, the atoms and also the lattice. this system uses multiple lasers to primarily produce advanced interference patterns with deliberately spaced peaks and valleys — areas of high or low energy intensity. The ultra-cooled atoms can naturally represent the valleys attributable to physical science — and whereas they're ultra-stationary, quantum physics says they must still be able to “tunnel” from place to put. The atoms should be ultra-cold so all or just about all their movement is attributable to this tunneling impact alone. If it is, then the general pattern of movement through the lattice will represent the interaction of quantum fields and frame of reference.

Really, the sole alternative truth to interiorise here is that, by craft the lattice to make a really specific pattern of peaks and valleys during which the atoms could move, the researches will amendment the values for his or her frame of reference figure. One lattice would possibly simulate the quantum field’s interactions with flat frame of reference (which technically doesn’t exist however which might be most closely found in deep, deep, region off from any massive masses), whereas another would possibly simulate a extremely crooked space of house, sort of a spot terribly close to the surface of a star.
The potential effects of this analysis ar prosaic, a minimum of within the short term. this can be one amongst those intersection breakthroughs, the type that doesn’t very get you anyplace however rather reveal several new avenues of analysis. having the ability to review the interaction of quantum theory and Einstein's theory of relativity (gravity), even indirectly like this, may inform work on everything from house thrusters to a grand unified theory of the universe.
By employing a figure for frame of reference curvature, instead of ever-changing that curvature directly, the researchers may provide future scientists the way to simulate the state of frame of reference at the event horizon of a region, or throughout the terribly earliest instants when the large Bang. All that might be needed is that the correct interference pattern to regulate the distribution of the foremost probable tunneling spots (valleys). And by slowly ever-changing the interference pattern over time, researchers may even watch the results of continuous variation therein frame of reference — say, attributable to growth within the universe’s earliest moments. Note that there's plenty to review regarding quantum fields and house time that doesn’t have to be compelled to do with such small-scale movements of quantum particles, and this system wouldn’t be abundant use in learning those. this can be by no means the top of Einstein’s beef with natural philosophy.
There’s no thanks to predict however physicists would possibly apply this breakthrough, however no matter they are available up with may fine be monumental. The interaction between quantum phenomena and Einstein's theory of relativity is essentially the goblet of contemporary high-level physics, and it should have simply gotten an entire heap easier to review. may this be the underpinning of some future Grand Unified Experiment? presumably. additional probably, it'll inform the trendy understanding of quantum and relativistic physics, and hopefully bring them nearer to uniting once and for all.
HZY

Saturday 11 October 2014

Cold fusion reactor is Far better than gasoline

Posted by Unknown on 23:23 No comments
"Cold Fusion Reactor" as compared to gasoline can produce 1 million times greater energy density.It is verified by a third party researcher.


First we have to understand what cold fusion reaction is?
Actually It was supposed to be a hypothetical Nuclear reaction more specifically fusion reaction that would take place at room temprature without giving so much heat energy as it was required in  case of hot fusion reation that naturally take place in the stars as well as sun.
Nasa is working on this technology and scientists are developing clean and safe low energy nuclear reactors (LENR)
"LENR is absolutely nothing like either fission or fusion. Where fission and fusion are underpinned by strong nuclear force, LENR harnesses power from weak nuclear force — but capturing this energy is difficult. So far, NASA’s best effort involves a nickel lattice and hydrogen ions. The hydrogen ions are sucked into the nickel lattice, and then the lattice is oscillated at a very high frequency (between 5 and 30 terahertz). This oscillation excites the nickel’s electrons, which are forced into the hydrogen ions (protons), forming slow-moving neutrons. The nickel immediately absorbs these neutrons, making it unstable. To regain its stability, the nickel strips a neutron of its electron so that it becomes a proton — a reaction that turns the nickel into copper and creates a lot of energy in the process."

Andrea Rossi’s E-Cat — the device that purports to use cold fusion to generate massive amounts of cheap, green energy – has been verified by third-party researchers, according to a new 54-page report. The researchers observed a small E-Cat over 32 days, where it produced net energy of 1.5 megawatt-hours, or “far more than can be obtained from any known chemical sources in the small reactor volume.” The researchers were also allowed to analyze the fuel before and after the 32-day run, noting that the isotopes in the spent fuel could only have been obtained by “nuclear reactions” — a conclusion that boggles the researchers: “… It is of course very hard to comprehend how these fusion processes can take place in the fuel compound at low energies.”
This technology can be used in planes,homes,cars in short as an alternative of gasoline and other means of power generation.When this technology will come in the market after getting published,there would come a revolution in the technology.
HZY

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Cars Can now be Parked by itself by finding a spot.

Posted by Unknown on 06:18 No comments

     Valeo uses a dozen ultrasonic sound-wave sensors, 360-degree cameras and a laser scanner.

 With a thumb swipe on a smartphone, your car one day will be able to drive into a parking deck, find an open spot and back into a space all by itself.
Technology being honed by French auto parts maker Valeo uses a dozen ultrasonic sound-wave sensors, 360-degree cameras and a laser scanner to safely park within a few centimeters of other vehicles. Then, when you re done with dinner or a business meeting, the car will return to you after another swipe of the thumb.
The potential benefits are plenty. More orderly parking means less congestion. Drivers are spared the time and frustration of the hunt for a spot. Parking lots can squeeze more vehicles into limited space.
The fully-automated system called "Connected Automated Valet Parking" is still about a decade away, however. More states must permit driverless cars and regulations have to be crafted. Equipment needs to be rolled out.
Still, Valeo executives see it as a big step toward the day in the distant future when cars actually drive themselves with no one behind the wheel.
Other companies have already demonstrated self-parking systems, but in most cases the driver has to find the spot and activate the system to make it work. The Valeo system, demonstrated Monday at an intelligent vehicle conference in Detroit using a Land Rover SUV, allows cars today to do tasks currently performed by human valets.
"The car is able to do a much better parking maneuver than we as humans," said Amine Taleb, Valeo s project manager for advanced driver assistance systems.
Here s how it works: Drivers approach their destination and the system finds a deck with an open space. The driver goes to the deck and activates the system. The deck then tells the car where the open space is. The sensors, cameras and laser activate, letting the car drive itself about 3 miles per hour, winding its way to the space and backing in. The system can even find a space on its own without a signal from a deck.
The system won t let the car hit anything, Taleb says. And it can brake and even take action on its own to evade a hazard such as another moving car. A driver can even watch the car park through the cameras and software that simulates an aerial view.
Although the technology is already available, there are hurdles. Only nine states allow driverless cars on public roads, and then only for testing purposes, said Scott Belcher, CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, the group holding the conference.
Also, parking decks will have to be equipped with systems to communicate with cars. Radio frequencies haven t been allocated yet by the federal government. The auto industry is vying with the cellphone industry for the bandwidth, for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, Belcher said.
Cyber security guidelines and government regulations have to be put in place. And legal liability has to be sorted out if the car somehow gets into a wreck.
What s likely within five years is an interim step: The driver finds the space and the car then parks itself. Taleb wouldn t say if an auto company is interested in buying the self-parking system.
The traffic benefits alone are tremendous. Omno Zoeter, a senior research scientist at Xerox, says some studies show as many as 30 percent of urban drivers are looking for parking at any given time.
Eugene Tsyrklevich, the CEO of Parkopedia, an app that monitors more than 30 million parking spaces in 45 countries to help drivers park, predicts a decade of transition as cars and then parking garages adopt technology.
"Driving around looking for a space is not dead yet," said Tsyrklevich. "But it will be."
HZY

Tuesday 2 September 2014

No Need for Spectacles Now.

Posted by Unknown on 04:41 No comments
New research has been done to get rid of spectacles.
        
     British scientist have done a successful experiment on this thing.Now doctors can put a drop in he eye through operation which can help to FOCUS.
Scientist invented a new technique to get rid of spectacles.This invention is a drop which can be put into the eye which helps in focusing.The name of the drop is "Rain Drop".This can be put into the eye without any pain.Before the operation eye the region of the is made senseless for sometime so that during the operation eye could be still.
Actually,research work is done in the America by the American scientists but the practical is performed in the Yorkshire,a city of England.
This new technique is substitue of laser surgery.
 with the advancement of age according to experts the focusing capability of eye is reduced to a much extent.But this technology is a remedy for that.
 This technology is now in use in Britian and in short time would be available in whole world.
The price of the drop is 250 pounds.It is supposed that the rate of the drops would decrease soon.
A lot of people can get benefit from this technique.
HZY

Friday 29 August 2014

It is Possible to Convert,Remove and Alternate Your Bad Memories

Posted by Unknown on 21:39 1 comment
Neuroscientists of Japan and America says that  Emotions connected to memories can be rewritten, making bad events in the past seem better and good things appear worse

The discovery of the mechanism behind the process helps to explain the power of current psychotherapeutic treatments for mental illnesses such as depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), they said, and could offer new avenues for psychiatric help.
"These findings validate the success of current psychotherapy, by revealing its underlying mechanism," research leader Susumu Tonegawa told AFP in Tokyo.
The team, formed from a collaboration between Japan's RIKEN institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, used optogenetics -- a new brain-control technology which utilises light -- to better understand what happens when we reminisce.
They found that warm feelings or intense fear triggered by the interaction between the hippocampus -- the brain's diary room -- and the amygdala -- the place believed to encode positivity or negativity -- are more flexible than previously thought.
"It depends on how strongly the (good or bad aspect) dominates... there is competition between the two circuits' connection strengths," Tonegawa said.
The researchers injected two groups of male mice with light-sensitive algae protein.
This allowed them to identify the formation of a new memory as it was happening and then use pulses of light to reactivate it when they wanted to.
One group of rodents were allowed to play with female mice, creating a positive memory. The other group were given a small but unpleasant electric shock through the floor.


PAINFUL MEMORY:

      Researchers then artificially reactivated the memory using the light pulses -- effectively making the mice remember what had happened to them.
supposed memory track
While the mice were "remembering" their event, they were given the opposite experience -- the mice with the nice memory got a shock, while those with the painful memory were introduced to females.
Tonegawa said his team had discovered that the emotion of the new experience overpowered the original emotion, rewriting how the mice felt about it.
"We did a test in the original chamber and the original fear memory was gone," he said.
However, the over-writing of a memory was only possible by manipulating the hippocampus, which is sensitive to context. The same result could not be achieved by manipulating the amygdala.
Tonegawa said the connection between the contextual memory in the hippocampus and the "good" or "bad" emotions in the amygdala became stronger or weaker depending on what was experienced.
The researchers hope their findings might open up new possibilities for treatment of mood-affecting disorders such as depression, or PTSD, a condition found in people such as soldiers who have undergone life-threatening or particularly horrific events.
"In the future, I would like to think that with new technology we will be able to wirelessly control neurons in the brain, without intrusive tools like electrodes," said Tonegawa, who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1987.
"We could possibly augment good memories over bad ones," he said.
The research paper is published in Nature.
In a commentary, also carried by Nature, cognitive researchers Tomonori Takeuchi and Richard Morris at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland said the study broke new ground in exploring the mechanisms of memory, although optogenetics had limitations as a tool for doing this.
"Molecular engineering is nonetheless shedding light on our understanding of the underlying physiological networks of memory," they wrote.

Discovery is helpful in the regard that:
      "The discovery could offer new avenues for psychiatric help."
HZY

Run Android apps on your Windows PC

Posted by Unknown on 12:05 No comments

 
 The Android emulator
The most “basic” way to get Android apps running on a PC is to go through the Android emulator released by Google as part of the official SDK. The emulator can be used to create virtual devices running any version of Android you want with different resolutions and hardware configurations. The first downside of this process is the somewhat complicated setup process.
You’ll need to grab the SDK package from Google’s site and use the included SDK Manager program to download the platforms you want — probably whatever the most recent version of Android happens to be at the time (4.4 at the time of publishing). The AVD manager is where you can create and manage your virtual devices. Google makes some pre-configured options available in the menu for Nexus devices, but you can set the parameters manually too. Once you’ve booted your virtual device, you’ll need to get apps installed, but the emulator is the bone stock open source version of Android — no Google apps included.

  After a bit of a slow start, Android’s application ecosystem has proven to be versatile and very developer-friendly. You are free to develop an app for Android and publish it to the Play Store with minimal restrictions. This has led to a plethora of really cool Android apps, some of which aren’t available on iOS or other platforms. Running Android apps usually requires an Android smartphone or tablet — obviously! — but what if you currently use iOS or another mobile OS, and want to try out Android without actually getting an Android device?
Well, fortunately, with a little leg work, you can run Android apps on a regular old Windows PC. There are a few different ways to go about it, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Since there’s no Play Store, you’ll need to do some file management. Take the APK you want to install (be it Google’s app package or something else) and drop the file into thetools folder in your SDK directory. Then use the command prompt while your AVD is running to enter (in that directory) adb install filename.apk. The app should be added to the app list of your virtual device.

The big upside here is that the emulator is unmodified Android right from the source. The way apps render in the emulator will be the same as they render on devices. It’s great for testing app builds before loading them onto test devices. The biggest problem is that the emulator is sluggish and lacks the hardware access to make games run acceptably.



Android PC ports

If you don’t mind a little extra work, you can have a more fluid Android app experience by installing a modified version of the OS on your PC. There are a few ports of Android that will run on desktop PCs, but support is somewhat limited because of the extensive hardware configuration options for PCs. The two leading choices for a full Android installation on PC are Android on Intel Architecture (UEFI-equipped devices) and the Android-x86 Project (pictured above).
Neither one is in a perfect state, and you’ll need a supported piece of hardware, like the Dell XPS 12 for Intel’s version or the Lenovo ThinkPad x61 Tablet for Android-x86. You could install them over top of Windows, but that’s not the best idea. The smarter way would be to create a separate hard drive partition and install Android there.
If your hardware isn’t supported by either of these projects, you can also try installing them in VirtualBox, which should be a little faster than the official Android emulator. It probably still won’t be good enough for games, but most apps should install and run correctly. Also note, you’ll have to install the apps you want manually as there’s no Google Play integration here either.
HZY

Thursday 28 August 2014

Apple’s iWatch is finally coming in September:

Posted by Unknown on 11:58 No comments

       After years of rumors, leaks, and false starts, it seems the stars will finally swing into alignment this fall: Apple is will unveil an iWatch smartwatch alongside a new large-screen iPhone 6 at an event on September 9, according to the latest reports. 
Presumably the iWatch will also be released to the public alongside the iPhone 6 a week or two later. Previous rumors had pointed to an October unveil for the iWatch, but it seems Apple has moved it forward — possibly in response to the Samsung Gear S, LG G Watch R, and the Moto 360, all of which will be released over the next month or two. Just as the iPhone and iPad popularized the smartphone and tablet, will the arrival of the iWatch signal the beginning of the wearable computing revolution?
Over the last couple of months, Apple’s (AAPL) stock price has been buoyed by Wall Street’s belief that, at long last, a new segment-defining device was on its way. Last week Apple’s stock price finally rose back above its September 2012 peak. It would seem that, after a couple of years of uncertainty — the echo of Steve Jobs’ death, essentially — the stock market finally thinks that Apple is ready to do more than just squeeze its iPhone cash cow for billions of dollars in profits every quarter.
Enter the iWatch, which has been rumored (or perhaps wishfully speculated is a better term) since 2010. The funny thing is, despite Recode’s confirmation that the iWatch is coming in September (and Recode is pretty good with Apple leaks), we know virtually nothing about what Apple’s smartwatch will actually do or look like. We don’t even know if it’ll be an iWatch — something akin to an iPod Nano with a wrist strap — or if it’ll be more of a health-and-fitness iBand. It’s pretty safe to assume that the iWatch/iBand will tie into iOS 8 features such as Health and HealthKit.
Ultimately, the big question is whether the iWatch will be a full-fat device that runs iOS  8 — or a companion device that perhaps runs a cut-down OS for improved battery life, and requires a nearby iPhone/iPad for connectivity and other heavy lifting. In either case, even in the wake of the 3G Samsung Gear S, I don’t think we’ll see a truly standalone iWatch with 3G/4G connectivity. If Apple does release an iWatch in September, I’m pretty certain that extended battery life will be one of the key differentiators that Apple offers over the Android competition — and it just isn’t possible to offer 3G/4G and long battery life in a smartwatch form factor (yet).

Will the iWatch kickstart the wearable computing revolution? After Google Glass and Samsung’s early smartwatches have established a beachhead, will Apple swoop in and mop up the glory show everyone else how it’s done? I think it’s unlikely — I just don’t think battery, processor, and radio technologies are there yet – but I’m happy to be proved wrong. I think it’s much more likely that Apple is reacting to the competition, rather than tapping the same well of innovation that resulted in the iPhone and iPad. (The large-screen iPhones are reactionary rather than revolutionary, too.)
In my eyes, it is surprising that we know so little about the iWatch this close to its (apparent) release date. Bear in mind that the iWatch will reportedly appear alongside the iPhone 6 on September 9 — and while we know almost everything about the iPhone 6, we know nothing about the iWatch. If Apple really is gearing up to release the iWatch, there will be production lines in China producing millions of units right now. It’spossible that Apple and its manufacturing partners have somehow kept the iWatch production line completely locked down, but it seems unlikely.
In any case, I guess we’ll find out on September 9. The iWatch is expected to be unveiled alongside the iPhone 6, which will come in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch flavors. Pricing is anybody’s guess right now, depending on whether it’s a full-fat iWatch or cut-down iBand — but somewhere between $200 and $400 sounds about right. Official invites to Apple’s September 9 event should be sent out in the next few days.

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Windows 9 may remove the Metro interface for desktop PC users, feature one-click upgrade process

Posted by Unknown on 01:02 No comments

    According to new Windows 9 leaks and rumors, it seems we could be in for some dramatic changes by the time the first public preview of Windows 9 rolls around (probably on September 30). The most recent leaked builds of Windows 9 (codename Threshold) indicate that Microsoft will finally fix the awful upgrade process that has plagued Windows for almost two decades, replacing it with a one-click upgrade system. Perhaps more excitingly, another source says that Windows 9 will formally split the Metro and Desktop interfaces: Tablets will be restricted to Metro, while laptops and desktops will be locked to the standard Desktop interface. No longer will tablet users be forced to fumble around the legacy Desktop — and no longer will mouse-and-keyboard users be thrust unwittingly into various Metrotastic applets.
First up, the improved upgrade process, as reported by Neowin. The most recent builds of Windows 9 (which are labeled “Technical Preview”) include a one-click upgrade process for moving from one build to the next. The update is performed in much the same way as current patches: You open up Windows Update and then click a single button to upgrade your build of Windows. This is obviously a huge improvement over previous and current incarnations of the Windows update process, which have invariably had shockingly high failure rates. Sadly, I think almost everyone reading this story will have, at some point in their lives, spent hours or days trying to upgrade Windows. Hopefully, with Windows 9, those days are behind us.
What isn’t clear, however, is whether this will affect the upgrade process from Windows 8 to Windows 9 — or whether this is purely for upgrades after Windows 9 (9.1, 9.2, 10, etc.) I have a nagging feeling that the upgrade process to Windows 9 will still be pretty horrible — but hopefully it’ll be relatively painless forever after. This new upgrade process is a sure sign that Microsoft is serious about its move to a rapid-release cycle (which in turn is vital if it wants to compete against the Apple and Google competition).
With Windows 9, the bifurcated Desktop/Metro interface of Windows 8 should be going away

Next, we have WinBeta saying that Windows 9 will formally split the Desktop and Metro interfaces: Your Windows 9 device will have either the original Desktop or the newer Metro interface — not both. This is a big change for both tablet users and conventional mouse-and-keyboard users. As far as tablet users are concerned, all of the legacy ties to the Desktop will be gone: Metro will be front and center, and you won’t ever have to visit the Desktop interface to run Microsoft Office or view the Control Panel. For conventional PC users, you won’t ever see the Metro interface if you don’t want to — though apparently there will be an option to use the Metro Start Screen instead of the resurrected Start menu if you wish (presumably this is how touchscreen hybrids, like the Surface Pro, will operate). Mouse-and-keyboard users should still have access to Metro apps by running them in a window on the Desktop.
Rounding up other rumors and leaks, Windows 9 will probably also include smarter, more lively live tiles — and there could be a notification tray, too. The removal of the Metro interface for mouse-and-keyboard users links in nicely with the previous rumor that the Charms bar is also being removed. As far as we’re aware, virtual desktops are still coming, as is the Cortana digital assistant (though I have no idea if she’ll be in both versions of Windows 9, or just the tablet/Metro version).
Windows 9 will allow Metro apps to run on the Desktop

So far, then, Windows 9 is shaping up to be very interesting indeed — though it’s hard to ignore the fact that this is essentially everything that Windows 7 and disgruntled Windows 8 mouse-and-keyboard users have been asking for all along. The mind still boggles at how Microsoft managed to get Windows 8 so wrong for conventional PC users — but hey, better late than never.
To be brutally honest, though, it’s not like Microsoft’s share of the PC market was ever at risk. It sounds like Windows 9 will fix a lot of what was wrong with Windows 8 for mouse-and-keyboard users, but an even more pertinent question still remains: How does Windows 9 help Microsoft get more than a few percentage points of the mobile market?
HZY

Tuesday 26 August 2014

A fully transparent solar cell that could make every window and screen a power source

Posted by Unknown on 08:24 No comments
Researchers at Michigan State University have created a fully transparent solar concentrator, which could turn any window or sheet of glass (like your smartphone’s screen) into a photovoltaic solar cell. Unlike other “transparent” solar cells that we’ve reported on in the past, this one really is transparent, as you can see in the photos throughout this story. According to Richard Lunt, who led the research, the team are confident that the transparent solar panels can be efficiently deployed in a wide range of settings, from “tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader.”
Scientifically, a transparent solar panel is something of an oxymoron. Solar cells, specifically the photovoltaic kind, make energy by absorbing photons (sunlight) and converting them into electrons (electricity). If a material is transparent, however, by definition it means that all of the light passes through the medium to strike the back of your eye. This is whyprevious transparent solar cells have actually only been partially transparent — and, to add insult to injury, they usually they cast a colorful shadow too.
To get around this limitation, the Michigan State researchers use a slightly different technique for gathering sunlight. Instead of trying to create a transparent photovoltaic cell (which is nigh impossible), they use a transparent luminescent solar concentrator (TLSC). The TLSC consists of organic salts that absorb specific non-visible wavelengths of ultraviolet and infrared light, which they then luminesce (glow) as another wavelength of infrared light (also non-visible). This emitted infrared light is guided to the edge of plastic, where thin strips of conventional photovoltaic solar cell convert it into electricity. [Research paper: DOI: 10.1002/adom.201400103- "Near-Infrared Harvesting Transparent Luminescent Solar Concentrators"]
If you look closely, you can see a couple of black strips along the edges of plastic block. Otherwise, though, the active organic material — and thus the bulk of the solar panel — is highly transparent. (Read: Solar singlet fission bends the laws of physics to boost solar power efficiency by 30%.)
Michigan’s TLSC currently has an efficiency of around 1%, but they think 5% should be possible. Non-transparent luminescent concentrators (which bathe the room in colorful light) max out at around 7%. On their own these aren’t huge figures, but on a larger scale — every window in a house or office block — the numbers quickly add up. Likewise, while we’re probably not talking about a technology that can keep your smartphone or tablet running indefinitely, replacing your device’s display with a TLSC could net you a few more minutes or hours of usage on a single battery charge.
The researchers are confident that the technology can be scaled all the way from large industrial and commercial applications, down to consumer devices, while remaining “affordable.” So far, one of the larger barriers to large-scale adoption of solar power is the intrusive and ugly nature of solar panels — obviously, if we can produce large amounts of solar power from sheets of glass and plastic that look like normal sheets of glass and plastic, then that would be big.
HZY

Monday 25 August 2014

LG bets on pricey OLED technology as future of TVs

Posted by Unknown on 20:27 No comments
LG said it will ship 65-inch OLED TVs starting September in South Korea.

 South Korea (AP) - LG Electronics Inc. announced two new giant OLED TVs with ultra-high definition screens Monday, sticking with its strategy of using the exceptionally expensive OLED display technology.
The South Korean company said it will ship 65-inch OLED TVs starting September in South Korea, Europe and North America. A 77-inch model will hit shelves later this year.
While major TV makers are pushing to make ultra HD TVs mainstream, they use LCD screens. The super-high resolution picture, also known as 4K, packs four times more pixels than regular HD televisions.
Making ultra HD quality TVs with OLED screens remain costly. LG's 65-inch model will cost 12 million won ($11,765). Other types of ultra HD televisions sell for less than $3,000.
OLED features deeper color saturation and a sharper image quality than LCD. But for years, its cost and high production error rate prevented the technology from catching on among mainstream consumers.
LG said it is committed to OLED because the cost will come down and its advanced screen will eventually replace LCD screens. It forecasts that OLED TV sales will overtake LCD TV sales "within a few years."
"OLED is where we must head next after PDP and LCD. It is a matter of time," Ha Hyun-hwoi, head of LG's TV business, told reporters.
LG's aggressive bet on OLED TVs is in contrast with its rival Samsung Electronics Co. After rolling out a 55-inch curved TV that uses an OLED display last year, Samsung has not announced an upgrade to its OLED TV for this year. Samsung uses OLED technology mostly for small devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers. 
HZY

Saturday 23 August 2014

Dead floppy drive: Kenya recycles global e-waste

Posted by Unknown on 12:20 No comments

Amount of electronic waste generated globally last year is enough to fill 100 Empire State Buildings
In an industrial area outside Kenya's capital city, workers in hard hats and white masks take shiny new power drills to computer parts. This assembly line is not assembling, though. It is dismantling some of the estimated 50 million metric tons of hazardous electronic-waste the world generated last year.
The clanking is rhythmic as the workers unscrew, detach and toss motherboards onto piles of gleaming circuitry at the East African Compliant Recycling facility. Workers wipe hard drives with magnets, shred small appliances, and bundle old cables like bales of multi-colored hay.
Stacks of dingy gray computer towers some with now-ancient floppy disk drives cover much of one wall. The cornerstone is a cardboard box labeled "PCs for Africa."
The amount of electronic waste generated globally last year is enough to fill 100 Empire State Buildings and represents more than 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) for every living person, according to the U.N. Environmental Program. Much of that e-waste is exported to developing countries like India and Kenya in the form of used goods, where it ends up in landfills or is burned, putting lead, arsenic and mercury into the environment.
Kenyan leaders are working on new laws and regulations requiring proper disposal of e-waste, defined as anything with a battery or a cord.
"A lot of e-waste is shipped to these countries in order to get rid of it," said Ruediger Kuehr, the executive secretary of Solving the E-Waste Problem, a Germany-based organization coordinated by the U.N.
Impoverished Nairobi residents collect end-of-life electronics for processing. In Nairobi's Mukuru slum, women pick through dumpsites or purchase discarded material from electronics repair shops. They earn about $2 for a CRT tube-style television. If dumped, that television would have released 6.5 pounds (3 kilograms) of lead into the environment.
"I can say we have already done something good," waste collector Joyce Nyawira said, referring to cleaning the environment.
Some of this e-waste stems from private Western charities donating products near the end of their life cycles, like the box of "PCs for Africa" sitting in the warehouse. Public initiatives like school computer programs also contribute.
"You can imagine if you are giving one kid a laptop, it's very easy for this laptop to die anytime," said Joshua Patroba, operations manager at East African Compliant Recycling, a company in Machakos, about an hour east of Nairobi, that began business in December and has already collected and sold more than 130,000 pounds of e-waste.
East African Compliant Recycling funds its operations by selling high-tech waste to countries like the U.K., China and Hong Kong with the machinery to isolate the precious metals and rare minerals from the scrap. High-grade motherboards can contain platinum, gold and silver. New products also pose a growing problem, as cheap gadgets become more widespread. Kuehr said more e-waste is generated in developing and transitioning countries than in the developed world. The U.N. says that while the world's 7 billion people have 4.5 billion toilets, they also have 6 billion phones.
"Most people, when their phones are dead, they give them to their children as toys, and then the children break them," said Margaret Kamar, Kenya's Minister of Higher Education, Science & Technology. "People get exposed to a lot of dangerous materials that are used when electronic materials are being manufactured."
President Uhuru Kenyatta in June signed regulations requiring e-waste be disposed of at government-licensed facilities meeting international standards. More detailed regulations written into an environmental act are pending. 
HZY

Friday 22 August 2014

Diabetes could be cured

Posted by Unknown on 20:28 No comments

That disease is caused when chunks of the hormone amylin clump together.

 Scientists say diabetes could be cured after compelling evidence revealed that juvenile-onset or type-1 diabetes and type-2 diabetes are both caused by the formation of toxic clumps of a hormone called amylin, stopping the cells producing insulin.
Professor Garth Cooper, from The University of Manchester with his University of Auckland-based research team, led the study.
The discovery could change the lives of millions of people who are suffering from the disease.

"As well as producing insulin, cells in the pancreas also produce another hormone called amylin. Insulin and amylin normally work together to regulate the body’s response to food intake. If they are no longer produced, then levels of sugar in the blood rise resulting in diabetes and causing damage to organs such as the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves if blood sugar levels aren’t properly controlled," the reasearchers highlighted.

It was further reproted that some of the amylin that is produced can get deposited around cells in the pancreas as toxic clumps, which then, in turn, destroy those cells that produce insulin and amylin. The consequence of this cell death is diabetes.
This new research provides strong evidence hat both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are driven by the same underlying mechanism.
The Manchester University team hopes to have potential medicines ready to go into clinical trials in the next two years and it is anticipated that these will be tested in both type-1 and type-2 diabetic patients. These clinical trials are being planned with research groups in England and Scotland.
HZY

Thursday 5 June 2014

Smartwear revolution promises healthier lives

Posted by Unknown on 01:27 No comments
Wearable technology is the fastest growing category at this year's Computex.


TAIPEI (AFP) - A new generation of wearable technology is promising not only to log data about users' health but to predict and avert crises -- from drivers falling asleep at the wheel to runners wearing themselves out in a marathon.
But there are concerns over the accuracy of the personal information collected by the burgeoning range of smart wristbands, watches and clothing -- and how companies might use that data.
Wearable technology is the fastest growing category at this year's Computex, Asia's largest tech trade show which kicked off in Taiwan on Tuesday, with health-tracking a dominant theme.
"Health and fitness sensors and data are fundamental for wearables and largely define the category," said Daniel Matte of market research firm Canalys.
Market tracker IDC predicted in April that sales of wearable tech items would triple this year to 19 million units worldwide, growing to 111.9 million by 2018.
At Taiwanese smartwear company AiQ's Computex stand this week, a muscular mannequin showed off a lycra cycling top.
Stainless steel fibres in the fabric and electrodes in the sleeves sense heart rate and other vital signs as well as calories burned, sending the data to a Bluetooth clip which can transmit it to a phone, tablet or other smart device.
The technology will appeal to sports fans, but it is Taiwan's bus drivers who will be the first to benefit, when companies ask them to wear smart shirts later this year in a move that could prevent accidents.
"We will provide a shirt which can monitor the drivers in case they are falling asleep, or in case any vital signs are not OK, and it will provide a signal or a warning to the bus company," said AiQ vice president Steve Huang.
The clothing was trialled for a year on discharged hospital patients to track their condition and it received positive feedback from wearers, he added.
But analysts and consumers still have reservations about whether smartwear can really tell us the truth about our bodies.
"Current sensors are not very accurate, but there will be improvements," said Matte.


- Privacy fears -

Samsung unveiled a new digital health technology platform last week that uses sensors to track a range of body functions such as heart rate and blood pressure.
And another giant of the sector, Apple, also launched its 'Health' app this week, with speculation mounting it will move into hardware later this year.
Leading Taiwan tech firm Acer also revealed its first wearable at Computex -- a fitness-tracking wristband which links to a smartphone.
But while tech firms jump on the health-monitoring bandwagon there are questions over how the huge flow of data from the new devices will be handled.
"There is a massive opportunity to analyse and monetise the large amounts of data that wearable sensors and platforms will generate. Privacy is always a concern," says Matte.
Huang acknowledged the tension between the potential commercial benefit for smartwear firms and the risk of invading users' privacy.
"There will be a lot of legal and moral issues," he said.
Tech companies are also emphasising the potential benefits of analysis to help users make sense of their data, and the possibility of linking up with experts who can give them feedback.
"Maybe we will cooperate with some medical (institutions) like hospitals to improve this kind of product and to do something to really help people -- this has been talked about at Sonostar," said Paula Luh at the Taiwanese firm's stand.

- New approach for athletes -

Sonostar was showing its new brightly coloured SmartFit trackers -- silicone wristbands with a pop-out coin-sized sensor which is battery-powered and designed to be worn all day, monitoring everything from steps taken to sleep patterns.
The device has one year's memory storage, said Luh, who added that users' privacy would be protected through a registering and sign-in procedure to access their personal data online.
Smart wearables could also be set to re-educate athletes away from a "no pain no gain" approach, with one new device at Computex claiming to be able to measure "stamina" so that it can warn racers when they might be pushing too hard.
"We detect the current flowing through your heart... then we use our algorithm and transfer the raw information into stamina," said Kuo Hsin-fu of Taiwanese start-up Bomdic, which makes the clip-on Bluetooth "GoMore" device.
By analysing the user's heart activity the device can predict lactic acid build up and other physical factors which can affect performance, said Kuo, with stamina shown as a percentage level.
"Most of the (smart) bands focus on general users, but our target audience is athletes. The ones who have tried it love it -- it's good for training and competition efficiency," he added.
"We are doing everything that other sports apps can do, but more."
HZY

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Messi world's most valuable player

Posted by Unknown on 08:51 No comments
The Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory put Messi's value at 216 million euros ($294 million).

GENEVA (AFP) - Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi remains the world s most valuable footballer, even though his crown slipped this season, a market study showed on Wednesday.
In its annual report on the player market, the Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory put Messi s value at 216 million euros ($294 million).
Even though Messi s lower performance levels slashed 19 million euros from his market value, he was still worth almost twice as much as arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, second in the ranking on 114 million euros.
CIES said that Messi s higher value was mainly related to his younger age -- he turns 27 this month, while Portuguese icon Ronaldo is already 29.
Ronaldo s heroics this season with Champions League winners Real Madrid meanwhile saw his market value climb by four million euros.
The study also showed that Real Madrid did the worst deal -- in market terms -- for a single player when they spent a record 100 million euros to sign Welshman Gareth Bale from London club Tottenham.
"Real Madrid clearly paid over the odds to convince Tottenham to release the player," CIES said, underlining that Bale s market value was now 37 million euros less than he cost the Spanish club.
Real spent an average of 32.3 million euros per player to build its Champions League squad -- the most expensive line-up on record.
Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid, who this season also clinched the Spanish title, made do with 4.3 million euros per player.
Other clubs where results outstripped spending included Crystal Palace in England, Elche in Spain, Guingamp in France, Augsburg in Germany and Verona in Italy, the study showed.
HZY

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Mohammad Irfan wants to win WC for Pakistan

Posted by Unknown on 07:42 No comments
The lanky paceman was injured during the Twenty20 series against South Africa in November.

LAHORE (AFP) - The world s tallest cricketer Mohammad Irfan Tuesday said he could win next year s World Cup for Pakistan single-handedly after regaining full fitness from a hip bone injury which had sidelined him for six months.
Irfan, who is seven-feet and one-inch (2.16 metres) tall, was speaking at a training camp in the eastern city of Lahore following his long lay-off.
"I am feeling good fitness and of course the target is to win the World Cup for Pakistan," said Irfan, who turns 32 on Friday.
"It s a big event, every player feels honoured to play it. In Australia pitches are very bouncy and are suitable for me and obviously I got a height factor and I can do well.
"If I managed to sustain my 100 per cent fitness I can win everything all alone, single handedly," he added.
The lanky paceman was injured during the Twenty20 series against South Africa in November last year in Dubai, missing Pakistan s series against Sri Lanka, tour to South Africa, Asia Cup and the World Twenty20.
Irfan said it was disappointing to miss six months of cricket, but said he would strive to avoid further injuries.
"I am working so hard on my fitness and I am ensuring this time that I should go (a) long way," he said.
Irfan broke into the national team in 2010 at the relatively late age of 28 but has so far played just four Tests, 27 one-day internationals and seven T20.
"I know I have to manage my workload and playing Tests is an added pressure hence I decided to play T20 and one-dayers only. I have to get myself tied up for a longer run this time and will ensure that I won t get dropped."
The selectors are not likely to take a chance on Irfan for their August tour of Sri Lanka, with the all-important series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in October-November a more realistic target for a comeback.
Pakistan then play New Zealand in the UAE, and tour New Zealand for a short limited over series before the World Cup in 2015.

Wednesday 21 May 2014

Football: World Cup lesson from 'worst team ever'

Posted by Unknown on 05:51 No comments
A new documentary shows how American Samoa bounced back from a record 31-0 defeat.

 - As the best footballing nations on the planet prepare for the World Cup, a new documentary celebrates how the game s worst team, American Samoa, bounced back from a record 31-0 defeat.
The film, "Next Goal Wins", tells how an unlikely group including international football s first transgender player, a psychologically scarred goalkeeper and a chain-smoking Dutch coach restored the tiny Pacific nation s footballing pride after the 2001 humiliation against Australia.
When London-based filmmaker Mike Brett began work on the project in 2011, American Samoa had languished at the bottom of the FIFA rankings for the team s entire 17-year existence, losing all of the 30-plus matches they had contested.
The low point was the 31-0 loss to the Socceroos in 2001, when striker Archie Thompson contributed 13 goals to the most lop-sided scoreline ever recorded in an international.
Nevertheless, American Samoa kept turning up at tournaments even as their roll of shame lengthened -- including an 11-0 loss to Fiji in 2004, 15-0 to Vanuatu in 2007 and 12-1 to the Solomon Islands in the same year.
Brett and co-director Steve Jamison became intrigued by the Pacific Island amateurs who kept coming back, despite the heavy defeats and scorn poured on them by many in the footballing world.
"That 31-0 result is like the punchline to a joke or the answer to a pub trivia question," Brett told AFP. "We wanted to go behind the headlines and tell the human story."
-  We re not looking to take the mickey  -
Brett and Jamison were keen amateur footballers but ended up filming advertisements for sports brands such as Nike and Adidas.
After working with top clubs including Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United, Brett admitted they became jaded as the commercial side of football lost its lustre.
"We slightly fell out of love with the game that we remembered from when we were kids and when this came along it was an opportunity to really go back to our roots," he said.
But first they needed to persuade the American Samoans they were not planning a mockumentary that would take cheap shots at the team s already wounded pride.
"We had to explain to them that we weren t looking to take the mickey," Brett said. "We were genuinely in awe of these guys, who were clearly in love with the game so much that they d play for 17 years straight without winning a single match.
"It says something about the purity of their commitment to the game and their utter unwillingness to give up, even in the face of defeat after defeat."
- Just another player, even if I run like a girl -
Once they had gained the team s trust, the filmmakers encountered a fascinating group of individuals desperate for footballing redemption.
Among them was defender Jaiyah Saelua, born John Saelua and recognised by FIFA as the first transgender player in international football.
Saelua is a fa afafine, part of a Polynesian tradition which -- in her words -- recognises that someone who is born male can have the spirit of a woman.
While a transgender player may attract prejudice in some western teams, Saelua s Samoan teammates who grew up with fa afafine simply accepted her as another member of the squad.
"I m just a soccer player, even though I run like a girl," she says in the movie. "I m not a male or a female, I m a soccer player."
And then there was Nicky Salapu, the goalkeeper traumatised by the 31-0 defeat, who would wake up at night a decade later reliving the experience of picking the ball from the back of his net time after time.
Other squad members included a overweight midfielder named Rambo and a player who smoked during training.
- Footballers not all horrible millionaires -
The coach charged with bringing the disparate group together was Dutchman Thomas Rongen, a gravel-voiced maverick whose tough approach initially alienated the easy-going Samoans.
The film follows their fortunes as they struggle to find form, culminating in the country s first ever win against Tonga in late 2011.
Brett said the Samoans  never-say-die attitude had rekindled his love of football and professional players such as former England defender Graeme Le Saux had reacted in a similar manner after seeing the documentary.
With the World Cup around the corner, he said the film, which will screen at the Sydney Film Festival next month, was a reminder to everyone of the simple joys of football and sport in general.
"People want us to say  oh, look at all these horrible football millionaires, aren t they terrible people and aren t these poor Samoans great ," he said.
"That s pretty patronising both to the Samoans and the pros. Most of the professionals dearly love the game, but they re in a highly pressurised environment where it can be easy to lose sight of that."
America Samoa is currently ranked 197 in the world, 10 places from the bottom of the FIFA rankings.
HZY
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