R&D Mag - News

How ribbons roll

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:29:10 GMT

Galileo Galilei’s experiments on the motions of falling and rolling objects, described in his 1638 book, Two New Sciences, are considered by many to be the beginning of modern science. Now researchers at MIT have conducted a variation on his experiments that has produced unexpected results.

Winds pushing fire through 2 dozen Detroit homes

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:41:11 GMT

Fire officials say flames have swept through at least two dozen Detroit homes, fanned by strong winds that toppled power lines across the city and knocked out service to at least 113,000 Michigan homes and businesses.Tuesday night's fires were scattered through at least three neighborhoods,...

AP Exclusive: Back to work after salmonella case

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:41:20 GMT

The peanut industry executive whose filthy processing plants were blamed in a salmonella outbreak two years ago that killed nine people and sickened hundreds more is back in the business.Stewart Parnell, former president of the now-bankrupt Peanut Corp. of America, is working as a consultant to...

Institute for Aging Research study finds indoor and outdoor fall are different for the elderly

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:51:31 GMT

The risk factors for indoor and outdoor falls are different, according to a new Institute for Aging Research study, a fact that is often missed when the two are combined and may affect how falls prevention programs are structured.

Saving a million acre-feet of water through conservation and efficiency in California

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:50:40 GMT

A new Pacific Institute analysis identifies specific actions that can annually save a million acre-feet of water in California quickly and at lower economic and ecological cost than developing new supplies. Water conservation and efficiency improvements from urban and agricultural sectors...

Summary Box: HP sues ex-CEO over new job at rival

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:41:44 GMT

HURD SUED: Hewlett-Packard Co. is suing Mark Hurd, the chief executive it ousted last month, to stop him from taking a top job at rival Oracle Corp.THE BEEF: HP claims that Hurd won't be able to do his job at Oracle without spilling HP trade secrets. Such cases often end in a court order that the...

34 rescued from China oil platform accident

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:41:25 GMT

Emergency teams with helicopters rescued 34 workers Wednesday from an oil drilling platform that was leaning dangerously in the East China Sea after a storm, and searched for two others still missing, officials said.The No. 3 drilling platform in the Shengli oil field, operated by Sinopec,...

Kia names new top executive after recalls

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:41:14 GMT

Kia Motors promoted the chief of its overseas operations to the company's top executive position, the automaker said Wednesday, after his predecessor resigned following a global recall of more than 100,000 vehicles due to defective wiring.Lee Hyoung-keun was named vice chairman of Kia, said...

Silicon-Tandem Photovoltaic Cell Sets New Conversion Efficiency record

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:51:42 GMT

Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) and Oerlikon Solar (SIX: OERL) announced today that they have achieved a record-breaking 11.9 percent stabilized conversion efficiency in a silicon-tandem, research-si...

LayTec Launches EpiCurveTT AR for Measuring Aspherical Curvature During Epitaxial growth

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:51:38 GMT

Recently, LayTec launched EpiCurveTT AR (advanced resolution) for measurements of the aspherical curvature component during epitaxial growth. The tool is the perfect solution for Planetary and other g...

CVD Equipment Corp Win $2.5 Million Contract from Aviation Component Supplier

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:51:34 GMT

CVD Equipment Corporation (NASDAQ: CVV) announced that it has received an order exceeding $2.5 million from a major aviation component supplier for multiple production thin film CVD coating systems. C...

A Wire For Spying On Cells

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:51:04 GMT

Tapping into the inner workings of a cell just got significantly more sophisticated, thanks to a new nanoscale field-effect transistor bioprobe (Science 2010, 329, 830). Unlike passive patch-clamp devices, which have been the intracellular biopr

Judge won't let stem cell money keep flowing

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:42:39 GMT

A federal judge on Tuesday refused to lift his order blocking federal funding for some stem cell research, saying that a "parade of horribles" predicted by federal officials would not happen.Medical researchers value stem cells because they are master cells that can turn into any tissue of the...

Fla. PSC OKs 33 cents per month FPL nuclear fee

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:42:31 GMT

Utility regulators have approved nuclear plant recovery fee of 33 cents for Florida Power & Light Co.That's how much customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, which is about average, will pay. It's 37 cents less than now being charged.The Public Service Commission on Tuesday voted 3-2 to...

Feds: Ga. nuclear power plant should proceed

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:42:14 GMT

Staff from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission say there are no major environmental problems that would prevent building two nuclear reactors in eastern Georgia.A draft report released Tuesday that studied the environmental impacts of expanding Plant Vogtle says federal regulators should allow...

Moody's downgrades some of Nabors' debt ratings

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:42:02 GMT

Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday downgraded some of its ratings on Nabor Industries Inc., saying it expects the oil and gas company will use debt to fund its $900 million acquisition of Superior Well Services Inc.The credit ratings agency lowered Nabors' senior unsecured notes ratings to...

CF Industries finance chief to retire Sept. 20

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:41:52 GMT

CF Industries Holdings Inc. on Tuesday said its chief financial officer will retire Sept. 20 but did not name a replacement.Anthony J. Nocchiero, 59, who also holds the title of senior vice president for the fertilizer manufacturer, joined the company in April 2007 from Merisant Worldwide Inc.,...

Research!America releases vaccines fact sheet

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:53:18 GMT

Research!America is highlighting the vital importance of vaccines with a new fact sheet in its Investment in Research Saves Lives and Money series. CDC recently reported that routine vaccination rates are increasing among teens aged 13-17, but for many diseases the vaccination rates are...

NASA saw strong T-storms in quick-forming Hermine's center, warm water to power it

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:53:14 GMT

Tropical Storm Hermine formed very quickly yesterday in the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and northeastern Mexico and southeastern Texas are now bearing the brunt of the storm. Infrared imagery taken from NASA's AIRS instrument showed a quick organization of strong thunderstorms...

For migrant workers, community cooperation builds on individual strengths

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:53:11 GMT

Fostering community cooperation, building on skills and strengths, and getting strangers to work together -- these are fundamentals of community development.

Addressing negative thoughts most effective in fighting loneliness

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:53:07 GMT

Changing how a person perceives and thinks about others was the most effective intervention for loneliness, a sweeping analysis of previous research has determined. The findings may help physicians and psychologists develop better treatments for loneliness, a known risk factor for heart...

Universe chaotic from very beginning

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:53:02 GMT

Seven years ago a Northwestern University physicist conjectured that the expansion of the universe at the time of the big bang was highly chaotic. Now he and a colleague have proven it using rigorous mathematical arguments. Their study reports not only that chaos is absolute but also the...

Irrigation's cooling effects may mask warming in some regions -- for now

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:52:57 GMT

Expanded irrigation has made it possible to feed the world's growing billions -- and it may also temporarily be counteracting the effects of climate change in some regions, say scientists in a new study. But some sources of irrigation water are projected to dry up in coming decades and...

Decision-making deficits related to driving under the influence are often undetected

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:52:31 GMT

(Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research) Driving under the influence of alcohol is a major public health problem. New findings show that people who had relapsed to DUI have subtle deficits in their decision-making abilities. These deficits tend to go undetected through...

Ghostwritten articles overstate benefits of hormone replacement therapy and downplay harms

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:52:28 GMT

(Public Library of Science) The first academic analysis of the 1500 documents unsealed in recent litigation against the pharmaceutical giant Wyeth (now part of Pfizer) reveals unprecedented insights into how pharmaceutical companies use ghostwriters to insert marketing messages...

A more robust, reliable Internet

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:52:24 GMT

(Washington University in St. Louis) A computer scientist at Washington University in St. Louis is part of a collaborative team that is one of four project teams chosen by the National Science Foundation to pursue ways to build a more robust, secure and reliable Internet. Patrick...

Duke Participating in State, National Science Festivals

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:51:57 GMT

Researchers Sharing Fun and Excitement with Curious of All Ages

Microbial breakthrough impacts health, agriculture, biofuels

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:50:34 GMT

For the first time ever, University of Illinois researchers have discovered how microbes break down hemicellulose plant matter into simple sugars using a cow rumen bacterium as a model.

Summary Box: Gates, Buffett pitch charity in China

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:41:11 GMT

STUMPING FOR CHARITY: Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffett will take their campaign to get the super rich to donate their money to charity to China later this month.BIG POOL OF TARGETS: The rapid growth in China since economic reforms began 30 years ago has...

Study: Teasing about weight can affect pre-teens profoundly

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:51:23 GMT

Schoolyard taunts of any type can potentially damage a child's sense of self-confidence. But a new study suggests that a particular kind of teasing -- about weight -- can have distinctive and significant effects on how pre-teens perceive their own bodies.