The following is a sampling of research results that will be presented by University of Rhode Island scientists at the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting in San Francisco from Dec. 9 to 13:
Jasco Pharmaceuticals and Roswell Park are sharing research results on use of a novel PIM2 inhibitor to overcome multi-drug resistance at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.
Human beings don’t come with power sockets, but a growing numbers of us have medical implants that run off electricity. To keep our bionic body parts from powering down, a group of Arizona researchers is developing a safe, noninvasive, and efficient means of wireless power transmission through body tissue. The team presents their findings at the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held Dec. 2 – 6 in San Francisco, Calif.
What’s the best place to conduct a conversation about a confidential or even classified matter? Surprisingly, probably not a conference room designed in accordance with acoustical criteria approved by the Department of Defense. While such “secret” rooms might meet DOD standards, they offer less protection against snooping than is found in a luxury condo. So says Marlund Hale of Advanced Engineering Acoustics in Simi Valley, California, who evaluated the acoustic performance of several classified spaces.
Craig Dolder, an acoustical engineer, always wanted to go to a Formula 1 Grand Prix but knew he needed to protect himself from the deafening roar of the engines. The advice he found online varied and the technical papers he read provided assessments of sound levels for NASCAR and other races, but he could find nothing that measured the noise levels or dosage specifically for Formula 1. So he decided to conduct his own test.
The American English speech variant known as uptalk, or "Valley Girl speak" – marked by a rise in pitch at the ends of sentences – is typically associated with young southern Californian females. New research shows uptalk is expanding to other demographic groups, including males.
Tongue twisters are not just fun to say; it turns out that these sound-related slip-ups can also open windows into the brain’s speech-planning processes. A team from MIT will report new insights gleaned from a comparison of two types of tongue twisters at the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held Dec. 2-6, 2013, in San Francisco, Calif.
When attached to the wheels or the tracks of rail transit systems, vibration absorbers may reduce the noise from trains, bringing more peace and quiet to passengers and those who work or live near the tracks. In tests of two major metropolitan public rail systems, researchers say that vibration absorbers have a modest effect if any on wheel or rail rolling noise, but they may be effective in reducing wheel squeal.
Highly insulating triple-pane windows keep a house snug and cozy, but it takes two decades or more for the windows to pay off financially based on utility-bill savings.
Our voice can reveal a lot about us: our age, our gender, and now – it seems – our height as well. A new study by researchers at Washington University, UCLA, and Indiana University found that listeners can accurately determine the relative heights of speakers just by listening to them talk. The key clue may be contained in a particular type of sound produced in the lower airways of the lungs, known as a subglottal resonance.
The mating roar of a male harbor seal is supposed to attract a partner, not a predator. Unfortunately for the seals, scientists have found evidence that marine-mammal-eating killer whales eavesdrop on their prey. Previous research had shown mammal-eating killer whales are nearly silent before making a kill, neither vocalizing nor using their echolocation. The likely reason, researchers say, is the excellent hearing of the seals, porpoises, and other animals the whales stalk.
A new algorithm designed at the University of Toronto has the power to profoundly change the way we find photos among the billions on social media sites such as Facebook and Flickr. This month, the United States Patent and Trademark Office will issue a patent on this technology. Developed by Parham Aarabi, a professor in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and his former Master’s student Ron Appel, the search tool uses tag locations to quantify relationships between individuals, even those not tagged in any given photo.
Brazilian researchers study acoustics of the caxirola, official World Cup instrument, in work to be presented at the fall meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA).
Scientists know that by introducing plasma to combustion, new chemical species are produced that catalyze the reaction. But no one knows precisely what species are involved, what the reactions are, and what their rates are. To better understand plasma-assisted combustion and to develop future technology, researchers are conducting experiments and creating computer models to determine which chemical processes are involved.
Fire-ant rafts aren’t just unusual in that they’re “viscoelastic,” like Jell-O and toothpaste, according to a new study presented in a talk at the upcoming APS’s Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting. Researchers found the rafts actively reorganize their structure, a feat that allows them to more effectively cushion themselves against applied forces, such as the battering of raindrops or the surges of waves.
Biologists have long thought that the spores produced by a mushroom’s cap simply drop into the wind and blow away. The problem with that notion, scientists say, is that spores can be dispersed even when the air is still. So how do the mushrooms do it? A team of researchers believe they have found the answer: mushrooms make their own wind.
Up, up in the sky: It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a . . . jellyfish? That's what researchers have built -- a small vehicle whose flying motion resembles the movements of those boneless, pulsating, water-dwelling creatures. The work, which will be presented at the APS’s DFD meeting on November 24, demonstrates a new method of flight that could transport miniaturized future robots for surveillance, search-and-rescue, and monitoring of the atmosphere and traffic.
An old, hilarious if somewhat juvenile party trick involves covertly tapping the top of someone's newly opened beer bottle and standing back as the suds foam out onto the floor. Now researchers from Carlos III University and Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Institut Jean le Rond d'Alembert, have produced new insight into the science behind the foaming, exploring the phenomenon of cavitation. They present their explanation at the annual APS Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting.
A deadly menace stalks the loons, gulls and other water birds of the Great Lakes region: Type E botulism. Cases of the disease are on the rise, and to understand die-off origin and distribution, ocean engineers from Florida Atlantic University are using their expertise in experimental hydrodynamics. They have teamed with the U.S. Geological Survey to help develop a novel way of tracking waterfowl carcasses to determine the source of lethal outbreaks.
Many owl species have developed specialized plumage to effectively eliminate the aerodynamic noise from their wings – allowing them to hunt and capture their prey in silence. A research group working to solve the mystery of exactly how owls achieve this acoustic stealth will present their findings at the APS’s Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting, work that may one day help bring “silent owl technology” to the design of aircraft, wind turbines, and submarines.
A team of American and Israeli researchers has unearthed what could be the largest and oldest wine cellar in the Near East.
To tackle the rising prevalence of age-related diseases and the challenges and opportunities presented by a growing elderly population, the USC Davis School of Gerontology and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging today announced a joint Ph.D. program in the Biology of Aging, the first in the nation.
At the APS’s Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting, Nov. 24 – 26, Flavio Noca, who has explored leveraging penguins’ “rocket” properties to create new propulsion technologies with high maneuverability and improved hydrodynamic efficiency, will present a penguin-inspired propulsion system that uses a novel spherical joint mechanism developed and manufactured by Bassem Sudki, a research assistant within Noca’s aerodynamics group, under the supervision of Professor Michel Lauria who leads hepia’s Robotics Laboratory.
Based on what scientists understand about fluid dynamics, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot should have disappeared centuries ago. Pedram Hassanzadeh, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard, and Philip Marcus, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, think they can explain why. Their work, which Hassanzadeh will present at the annual meeting of the APS’S Division of Fluid Dynamics this November, also provides insight into persistent ocean eddies and vortices that contribute to star and planet formation.
Even as the rate of diagnosis has reached 11 percent among American children aged 4 to 17, neuroscientists are still trying to understand attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One classic symptom is impulsivity — the tendency to act before thinking.
Although we don’t often think about it, fluid dynamics touches almost every aspect of our lives, from a billowing breeze that buffets a flag, to swirling river currents that shape canyons to the surging blood that sustains our lives. One of the basest of bodily functions -- urination -- is governed primarily by the equations of fluid motion.
As more businesses find their way into the cloud, few engage in security measures beyond those provided by the associated cloud storage firm, a new report from Georgia Tech notes. Even fewer seek heightened data protection because of concerns that usability and access to remote data would be significantly reduced.
Nanoscale images, presented at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif., may provide ‘hole’ story on pore-making antibiotic peptides
New barrier films, presented at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif., could better protect electronics in harsh environments.
Experts from NYU Langone’s Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology presented new research and participated in expert panel discussions at the American College of Rheumatology 2013 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, October 26-30.
Presentation at AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif. describes new uranium pellets with degradation-resistant cladding for enhanced safety
Microbial electrode catalysts that turn wastewater into watts presented at AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
Analysis of chemical signatures on common fibers may help solve crimes; work to be presented at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
Meteorite bombardment left large craters that contained water and chemical building blocks for life, which ultimately led to the first organisms.
At least sixteen species of earthworms are now found in Vermont and elsewhere in New England. All are exotic and many are invasive. As they spread, they devour organic matter, disrupting forests and releasing carbon dioxide. But they also store carbon deep in the soil. So, do the worms, on balance, slow or accelerate climate change? Vermont researchers are on the case.
A career spent in helping citrus growers increase yields, prevent disease, reduce chemical use and save money is rewarded for this Florida crop adviser.
Nitrogen and phosphorus export must be reduced via interdisciplinary cooperation
A remote acoustic detection system designed to identify homemade bombs can determine the difference between those that contain low-yield and high-yield explosive.
Scientists report steps toward safer, cheaper, longer-lasting, and faster-charging solid-state battery at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
New tool, presented at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif., is uncovering the fundamentals of how cells respond to surfaces and could potentially improve the effectiveness of biomedical implants.
The weight of the kilogram may soon rest on the emptiness of a vacuum; Overview of technology presented at AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
Research presented at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif. shows scientists’ first steps into the unexplored territory of interfacial materials that could someday yield smaller, faster, more energy-efficient devices.
New discoveries, presented at the AVS Meeting in Long Beach, Calif., could impact applications ranging from artificial snowmaking to global climate models.
A team of University of Washington computer scientists has created a software program that watches a user's movements and gives spoken feedback on what to change to accurately complete a yoga pose. Researchers hope this will allow people who are blind or low-vision to participate more fully in yoga exercises.
Connecticut College students and a professor of neuroscience have found “America’s favorite cookie” is just as addictive as cocaine – at least for lab rats. In a study designed to shed light on the potential addictiveness of high-fat/ high-sugar foods, Professor Joseph Schroeder and his students found rats formed an equally strong association between the pleasurable effects of eating Oreos and a specific environment as they did between cocaine or morphine and a specific environment. They also found that eating cookies activated more neurons in the brain’s “pleasure center” than exposure to drugs of abuse.
Increasing organic content, improving soil structure, important to urban growers
The Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is evaluating the potential for new lighting technologies and approaches to improve driving safety at night, including new car headlight systems—swiveling or bending headlights that direct light into roadway curves, and adaptive or glare-free high beam headlight systems, which allow drivers to use high beam headlights while selectively dimming a portion of the beam when oncoming drivers are present, preventing glare to the oncoming drivers while providing improved visibility along the rest of the road.
What can be done on farms to limit the spread of antibiotic resistant genes?
To most people, restoration of Florida’s Everglades means recovering and protecting the wetlands of south Florida. What many don’t realize is how intimately the fortunes of the southern Everglades are tied to central Florida’s Lake Okeechobee and lands even further north. Restoration of this northern Everglades ecosystem will be discussed at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings on Nov. 3-6 in Tampa, FL.
Lessons from underground nuclear tests and explosive volcanoes may hold the answer to how a category of unusual impact craters formed on Mars.
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