Science

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NASA's Spitzer Observes Gas Emission From Comet ISON

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These images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of C/2012 S1 (Comet ISON) were taken on June 13, when ISON was 310 million miles (about 500 million kilometers) from the sun.

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A high-pressure nanoimaging breakthrough

A team of researchers made a major breakthrough in measuring the structure of nanomaterials under extremely high pressures. Bragg coherent x-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI) is a promising tool to probe the internal strains of nanometer-sized crystals. But for high-pressure studies the x-ray beam must pass through a component of the diamond anvil cell, which can significantly affect the coherence properties of the beam. The researchers have developed a technique to deal with this that could lead to advances in new nanomaterials created under high pressures and a greater understanding of what is happening in planetary interiors.

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(a) Isosurface (30%) of the reconstructed amplitude superimposed with a model of the possible {111} and {100} crystal planes. The normal directions of two sets of crystalline planes {111} and {100} are marked by two kinds of arrows (fat and narrow), and the one (111) used for the measurement is marked in red. (b,c) are the top and bottom view of phase shift distribution pasted on the 30% isosurface plot. Three strain distinguished locations numerically labelled are chosen for quantitative measurement as a function of pressure. (d) 3D phase distribution at different slicing depths spaced apart by 20 nm steps from top to bottom of the crystal.

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Direct nitrogen fixation for low cost energy conversion

A simple, low-cost and eco-friendly method of creating nitrogen-doped graphene nanoplatelets (NGnPs), which could be used in dye-sensitized solar cells and fuel cells

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This is a diagram of Direct Nitrogen Fixation on Graphene Nanoplates.

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2 in 1 solution for low cost polymer LEDs and solar cells: Affordable, simple yet high-performance PLEDs and PSCs are here soon

Considerable improvement in device performance of polymer-based optoelectronic devices is reported today by researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea. The new plasmonic material, can be applied to both polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) and polymer solar cells (PSCs), with world-record high performance, through a simple and cheap process.

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Earth from Space: Explosive land

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Microorganisms found in salt flats could offer new path to green hydrogen fuel

A protein found in the membranes of ancient microorganisms that live in desert salt flats could offer a new way of using sunlight to generate environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel, according to a new study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.

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The pink color of salt lakes is caused by salt-loving microorganisms, called halobacteria.

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Injectable ‘Smart Sponge’ Holds Promise for Controlled Drug Delivery

A glucose-responsive closed-loop insulin delivery system represents the ideal treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus. In this study, we develop uniform injectable microgels for controlled glucose-responsive release of insulin. Monodisperse microgels (256 +/= 18 ?m), consisting of a pH-responsive chitosan matrix, enzyme nanocapsules, and recombinant human insulin, were fabricated through a one-step electrospray procedure. Glucose-specific enzymes were covalently encapsulated into the nanocapsules to improve enzymatic stability by protecting from denaturation and immunogenicity as well as to minimize loss due to diffusion from the matrix. The microgel system swelled when subjected to hyperglycemic conditions, as a result of the enzymatic conversion of glucose into gluconic acid and protonation of the chitosan network. Acting as a self-regulating valve system, microgels were adjusted to release insulin at basal release rates under normoglycemic conditions and at higher rates under hyperglycemic conditions. Finally, we demonstrated that these microgels with enzyme nanocapsules facilitate insulin release and result in a reduction of blood glucose levels in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes.

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In this image, the “smart sponges” are exposed to high glucose levels and are swelling to release insulin.

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Snow in an Infant Planetary System

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A snow line has been imaged in a far-off infant planetary system for the very first time. The snow line, located in the disc around the Sun-like star TW Hydrae, promises to tell us more about the formation of planets and comets, the factors that decide their composition, and the history of the Solar System.

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Paper-thin e-skin responds to touch, holds promise for sensory robotics and interactive environments

A new milestone by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, can help robots become more touchy-feely, literally.

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In this artistic illustration of an interactive e-skin device, the intensity of the emitted light corresponds to how hard the surface is pressed.

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CERN experiments put Standard Model to stringent test – UK reaction here

New results being presented at the EPS-HEP conference in Stockholm, Sweden, this afternoon (19th July 2013) have put the Standard Model of particle physics to one of its most stringent tests to date. The CMS and LHCb experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider will present measurements of one of the rarest measureable processes in physics: the decay of a Bs (pronounced B-sub-s) particle into two muons.