Device | SilverScorpio.Com

Britons spend 1 month of their lives looking for TV remote!

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sept 18 (ANI): Britons waste one month of their lives searching for the television remote control, a new study has found.

After studying 4,000 individuals, the researchers found that the average viewer loses it an average of 3.2 times a week and spends more than four minutes looking for it each time, reports The Scotsman.

That means each week Brits spend 15 minutes hunting for the device.

Kathryn Drought, of Sky, who led the study to launch the broadcaster’s Free Weekend Pass, said: “The remote control is such a well-used item in the nation’s homes.

“It’s one of those things we’re forever trying to find – normally down the back of the sofa.

“TV plays such a big part in our lives. It’s not surprising who is in control of the remote is such a hot household topic.”

Three in ten volunteers admitted hiding the remote from a partner or housemate, and 17 per cent have thrown it at someone in a fit of “remote rage”, the study found. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 15 minutes, ANI, average, back, britons, brits, broadcaster, cent, control, Control Remote, device, drought, fit, Four Minutes, free, household, housemate, hunting, item, Kathryn Drought, led, London, month, nation, part, partner, pass, plays, rage, scotsman, Sept, sky, sofa, someone, study, television, Television Remote Control, time, topic, viewer, volunteers, waste, week, weekend

Despite IAEA findings, Iran sings its old nuke-for-peaceful-purposes tune

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Tehran, Sep. 18 (ANI): Even as a secret IAEA report revealed that Iran is capable of making a nuclear bomb and is developing a missile system to carry an atomic warhead, Iranian officials have reiterated claims that the Islamic nation’s nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes.

Fox News quoted Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, as saying that Iran is sincere in wanting to negotiate with the West.

He added that Western countries should “read between the lines” about Iran’s intentions.

Although the prospects of finding anything between the lines were almost nil after the surfacing of the IAEA report, but Soltanieh insisted that discussions with the West would be a “real, new window of opportunity.”

The secret U.N. watchdog report, titled “Possible Military Dimension of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” concludes:

*Iran worked on developing a chamber inside a ballistic missile capable of housing a warhead payload “that is quite likely to be nuclear.”

*Iran engaged in “probable testing” of explosives commonly used to detonate a nuclear warhead – a method known as a “full-scale hemispherical explosively driven shock system.”

*Iran worked on developing a system “for initiating a hemispherical high explosive charge” of the kind used to help spark a nuclear blast.

“Iran has sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable implosion nuclear device (an atomic bomb) based on HEU (highly enriched uranium) as the fission fuel,” The agency assessed.

On October 1, Iran is scheduled to meet with the U.S. and five other world powers seeking curbs on its atomic activities for the first time in more than a year.

However, Tehran says it is not prepared to discuss its nuclear activities. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: (Iran, agency, Ali Asghar, ambassador, ANI, anything, atomic, atomic bomb, Atomic Energy Agency, Atomic Warhead, ballistic missile, blast, bomb, chamber, charge, detonate, device, dimension, energy, Explosive Charge, fission, fox, Fox News, fuel, HEU, housing, IAEA, implosion, information, international, international atomic energy, International Atomic Energy Agency, iranian officials, Islamic, islamic nation, kind, method, military, Military Dimension, missile, missile system, nation, NEWS, nil, nuclear, Nuclear Activities, nuclear blast, Nuclear Bomb, nuclear device, nuclear warhead, October, opportunity, payload, Peaceful Purposes, program, report, Sep, shock, Soltanieh, system, tehran, testing, time, tune, uranium, US, warhead, watchdog, Watchdog Report, west, window, world, year

Catalyst simulations for fuel cells may make clean cars a reality

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 18 (ANI): University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are working towards developing better catalyst for fuel cells in a bid to make clean cars a reality.

If successful, the researchers could make a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power, and produces water instead of carbon emissions.

Materials science and engineering assistant professor Dane Morgan and Ph.D. student Edward (Ted) Holby have developed a computational model that could optimise an important component of fuel cells, making it possible for the technology to have a more widespread use.

The researchers investigated how particle size is related to the overall stability of a material, and showed with their model that increasing the particle size of a fuel cell catalyst decreases degradation and therefore increases the useful lifetime of a fuel cell.

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that facilitate a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing electrical power and forming water.

In the type of fuel cells Morgan is researching, called proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), hydrogen is split into a proton and electron at one side of the fuel cell (the anode).

The proton moves through the device while the electron is forced to travel in an external circuit, where it can perform useful work, while at the other side of the fuel cell (the cathode), the protons, electrons and oxygen combine to form water, which is the only waste product.

One of the many hurdles to producing efficient fuel cells for widespread use is the catalyst added to aid the reaction between protons, electrons and oxygen at the cathode.

Current fuel cells use platinum and platinum alloys as a catalyst. While platinum can withstand the corrosive fuel cell environment, it is expensive and not very abundant.

Thus, to maximize platinum use, researchers use catalysts made with platinum particles as small as two nanometers, which are approximately 10 atoms across.

These tiny structures have a large surface area on which the fuel cell reaction occurs.

However, platinum catalysts this small degrade very quickly, which means that the fuel cell doesn’t last long.

The researchers have found a possible solution to the rapid degradation problem-when it comes to catalyst particle size, sometimes smaller isn’t better.

In their modelling work, they showed that if the particle size of a platinum catalyst is increased to four or five nanometers, which is approximately 20 atoms across, the level of degradation significantly decreases.

This means the catalyst and the fuel cell as a whole can continue to function for much longer than if the particle size was only two or three nanometers.

“Fuel cells are just one of many energy technologies – solar, battery, etc. – with enormous potential to reduce our dependence on oil and our carbon emissions. Computer simulation offers a powerful tool to understand and develop new materials at the heart of these energy technologies,” said Morgan. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ANI, Anode, area, assistant, battery, bid, car, carbon, carbon emissions, catalyst, catalysts, cathode, cell, Cell Environment, circuit, Clean Cars, component, computational, computational model, Computer, Dane Morgan, degradation, degrade, dependence, device, edward, Electrical Power, Electrochemical Devices, electron, energy, engineering, environment, exchange, fuel, Fuel Cell Catalyst, fuel cells, heart, Holby, hydrogen, level, lifetime, madison, material, materials science and engineering, membrane, model, nanometers, oil, optimise, oxygen, particle, Particle Size, PEMFCs, Platinum, Platinum Alloys, potential, power, product, professor, proton, Proton Exchange Membrane, Protons Electrons, reaction, reality, Science, Sep, side, simulation, size, solar power, solution, stability, student, surface, Technology, ted, tool, type, University, university of wisconsin madison, use, Washington, waste, water, whole, Wisconsin, work

New air filter system can destroy up to 99.9 per cent of bugs on aircraft

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 16 (ANI): British researchers have developed an air filter system that destroys up to 99.9 per cent of infectious viruses and bacteria as well as pollutants that can circulate in the confines of an aircraft, especially on long-haul flights.

According to a report in The Times, the machine has been developed by aerospace giant BAE Systems, in collaboration with Quest International, a small company based in Cheadle, South Manchester, UK.

The device, called AirManager, uses a controlled electric field to filter out and destroy any airborne particles or germs as they pass through an aircraft’s air conditioning system, emitting only clean, sterilized air.

After four years of development and tests, BAE says it has received its first orders from a major European airline and announced the technology is also being considered for use in NHS hospitals as a way to stop the spread of “superbugs” such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

The air on board a passenger jet must be pressurized in order for passengers to be able to breathe, but scientists and lobby groups have previously claimed that passengers can be exposed to toxins as a result of the “bleed air” system that is used to redirect air from the engines to the cabin and cockpit.

Air inside the cabin is then circulated and re-circulated up to 30 times an hour, far more than in conventional air conditioning systems, meaning that infectious viruses and bacteria can quickly spread.

Unlike conventional filters, which are designed to sieve out particles from the air as it passes through perforated barriers at high speed, David Hallam, an engineer and founder of Quest International, said that the AirManager used an “avalanche of electrons” emitted in a closed electric field to break down and destroy the atomic structure of any pollutants or germs.

“This works with swine flu, avian flu, norovirus, MRSA, even a modified form of anthrax,” Hallam said.

Hallam said that he originally designed the “close coupled field” in the late 1990s to rid nursing homes of biological odours caused by bacteria.

But, the filter was later found to have an effect in reducing the airborne transmission of bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium difficile.

BAE Systems expressed interest in the technology four years ago for use on aircraft and the system was recently tested on the flight deck and cabin air systems of Boeing 757 and Avro RJ passenger jets by five European airlines, with successful results. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Aerospace, air, Air Filter System, airborne particles, aircraft, airline, AirManager, ANI, anthrax, aureus, avalanche, avian, avian flu, AVRO, BAE, bae systems, board, boeing, british researchers, cabin, cent, Cheadle, close, clostridium, Clostridium Difficile, cockpit, collaboration, company, conditioning, Conventional Air, Conventional Filters, David Hallam, deck, Development, device, difficile, effect, engineer, European Airline, field, filter, flight, Flu, form, founder, giant, hour, Infectious Viruses, interest, international, jet, lobby, lobby groups, London, Long Haul Flights, machine, mrsa, New, NHS, Nhs Hospitals, Norovirus, nursing, order, passenger, Passenger Jet, quest, Quest International, redirect, report, result, September, Sieve, South Manchester, speed, spread, Staphylococcus, structure, Swine Flu, system, Technology, times, transmission, U.K, use, viruses and bacteria, way

Sound recordings can help detect obstructive sleep apnoea

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Sept 11 (ANI): Australian scientists have come up with a non-invasive screening tool for detecting obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

Snoring is a very early symptom of sleep apnoea, however, monitoring the changes in pitch, frequency and other characteristics of the snores can help detect OSA.

Biomedical engineer and co-researcher Dr Udantha Abeyratne, of the University of Queensland have developed a non-contact method of screening patients suspected of OSA, which could eventually be used at home.

Abeyratne says the device records the sounds of a person’s snoring, which “is a very early symptom of sleep apnea.”

Currently, the only way to diagnose a person with OSA is to have them spend a night at a sleep centre or hospital, hooked up to a machine that monitors their sleep continuously.

“There are very long waiting lists to come into the hospital and get tested,” ABC Online quoted Abeyratne as saying.

He said compared to the traditional method of diagnosing OSA, the sound recordings method is 90pct accurate.

Abeyratne hopes the technology will be available for use in people’s homes in the next three to five years. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: abc, Abeyratne, ANI, apnea, apnoea, Australian Scientists, biomedical, biomedical engineer, centre, device, diagnose, engineer, frequency, home, hospital, machine, Melbourne, method, monitors, night, Online, osa, pct, person, pitch, Pitch Frequency, Queensland, researcher, screening, Screening Patients, screening tool, Sept, Sept 11, sleep, sleep apnea, sleep apnoea, Sleep Centre, Snores, Snoring, sound, Sound Recordings, symptom, Technology, tool, Udantha, University, university of queensland, use, waiting, waiting lists, way

Soon, robot controlled by human brain cells

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sept 10 (ANI): Scientists from University of Reading are working on developing a robot that would be controlled by human brain cells.

Lead researchers Kevin Warwick and Ben Whalley have already used rat brain cells to control a simple wheeled robot.

During the study, the researchers grew around 300,000 rat neurons in a nutrient broth and device producing spikes of electrical activity were connected to the output of the robot’s distance sensors.

The neurons could successfully steer the robot around a small enclosure.

Based on the findings rat models, the researchers are now working on steering the robot with the help of human brain cells.

The researchers believe that understanding how the neuron culture responds to stimulation could lead to deeper insights of neurological conditions such as epilepsy.

For instance, the way large numbers of neurons sometimes spike in unison – a phenomenon known as “bursting” – may be similar to what happens during an epileptic seizure.

The research team suggests if the behavior could be altered by changing the culture chemically, electrically or physically, it might pave way for potential therapies.

To make the system a better model of human disease, a culture of human neurons will be connected to the robot once the current work with rat cells is completed.

They will analyze the differences in the behavior of robots controlled by rat and human neurons.

“We’ll be trying to find out if the learning aspects and memory appear to be similar,” New Scientist quoted Warwick as saying. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: activity, ANI, behavior, Ben Whalley, brain, broth, culture, device, disease, distance, electrical activity, enclosure, epilepsy, Epileptic Seizure, help, Human Brain Cells, human cells, Human Neurons, instance, Kevin Warwick, large numbers, London, memory, model, Neurological Conditions, Neuron, New, New Scientist, nutrient, Nutrient Broth, output, phenomenon, rat, Rat Brain, Rat Models, Rat Neurons, Research, robot, scientist, seizure, Sept, spike, spikes, stimulation, study, system, team, understanding, unison, University, university of reading, Warwick, way, Whalley, Wheeled Robot, work

Two injured in IED blast in Srinagar

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Srinagar, Sep 9 (ANI): At least two people were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast that took place outside the 42nd battalion CRPF building in Srinagar on Wednesday.

There were no fatalities reported.

It is suspected that the IED was kept outside the CRPF batallion gate by militants. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 42nd, ANI, batallion, battalion, blast, building, CRPF, device, gate, IED, Improvised Explosive Device, people, place, Sep, srinagar, Wednesday

High-performance, low-cost green LEDs to brighten up the future

September 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 6 (ANI): A scientist is aiming to develop a high-performance, low-cost green LED (Light-emitting diode).

According to Christian Wetzel, professor of physics and the Wellfleet Professor of Future Chips at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), “Going green means different things to different people. For companies, going green means making a profit by selling equipment and services that allow one’s customers to be more efficient and reduce costs.”

“I’m doing both of those, but I’m also trying to make an LED that literally shines green light,” he said.

First discovered in the 1920s, LEDs are semiconductors that convert electricity into light.

When switched on, swarms of electrons pass through the semiconductor material and fall from an area with surplus electrons into an area with a shortage of electrons.

As they fall, the electrons jump to a lower orbital and release small amounts of energy. This energy is realized as photons – the most basic unit of light.

Unlike conventional light bulbs, LEDs produce almost no heat.

The color of light produced by LEDs depends on the type of semiconductor material it contains.

“We have high-performance red LEDs, we have high-performance blue LEDs, and if we paired them with a high-performance green LED we would be able to produce every color visible to the human eye – including true white,” said Wetzel.

“Every computer monitor and television produces its picture by using red, blue, and green. That means developing a high-performance green LED would likely lead to a new generation of high-performance, energy-efficient display devices,” he added.

“The problem, however, is that green LEDs are much more difficult to create than I, or anyone else, imagined,” he explained.

Simple preliminary attempts to create green LEDs, by merely adding more indium (In) to the gallium nitride (GaN) materials that composed blue LEDs, were unsuccessful.

The resulting green LEDs just weren’t strong or bright enough to stand toe-to-toe with red or blue.

Wetzel and his research group have been working to tweak precisely how to add more indium, and how to grow the structure more carefully into a device, with the goal of boosting the strength and light output of green LEDs.

“They’re endeavoring, he said, to close the green gap,” said Wetzel.

Once they overcome the challenge of developing efficient green LEDs, Wetzel envisions LED technology will quickly evolve from its current applications in signs and small displays and grow into a universally adopted, globally used replacement for traditional light bulbs and compact fluorescence tubes. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: 1920s, ANI, anyone, area, Blue Leds, brighten, challenge, Christian Wetzel, color, Computer, Computer Monitor, Conventional Light Bulbs, device, different things, diode, display, electricity, electrons, energy, equipment, eye, fall, fluorescence, future, gallium, Gallium Nitride, Gan, gap, generation, Goal, group, heat, High Performance, human eye, indium, institute, led, led light, LEDS, light, Light-emitting, material, monitor, new generation, nitride, orbital, output, Performance Energy, physics, picture, Polytechnic, problem, professor, profit, Rensselaer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, replacement, Research, RPI, scientist, semiconductor, semiconductor material, semiconductors, September, shortage, simple, strength, Stro, structure, surplus, swarms, Technology, television, tweak, type, unit, Washington, Wellfleet, white

‘NanoPen’ may revolutionise electronics sector, medical diagnostic tests

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 3 (ANI): A team of scientists in California have announced the creation of a ‘NanoPen’ that can simplify the method of laying down patterns of nanoparticles-from wires to circuits-for making futuristic electronic devices, medical diagnostic tests, and other much-anticipated nanotech applications.

Writing about their work in ACS’ Nano Letters, Ming Wu and colleagues point out that researchers have already developed several different techniques for producing patterns of nanoparticles, which are barely 1/50,000th the width of a human hair.

However, the researchers add, current techniques tend to be too complex and slow because they require bulky instrumentation and take minutes or even hours to complete.

The researcher further point out that these techniques also require the use of very high temperatures to apply the nanostructures to their target surfaces.

According to them, such limitations prevent widespread application of these techniques.

They claim that their NanoPen can solve all these problems.

The researchers have used the novel device in their lab to deposit various nanoparticles into specific patterns in the presence of relatively low light and temperature intensities.

They say that the process, which requires the use of special “photoconductive” surfaces, takes only seconds to complete with their NanoPen.

They further state that manufacturers can adjust the size and density of the patterns by adjusting the voltage, light intensity, and exposure time applied during the process. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: acs, ANI, application, California, circuits, colleagues, creation, density, device, electronic devices, exposure, exposure time, hair, high temperatures, instrumentation, Intensities, intensity, lab, light, light intensity, making, Medical Diagnostic Tests, method, Ming Wu, Nano Letters, nanoparticles, NanoPen, nanostructures, nanotech, novel, novel device, point, presence, process, researcher, revolutionise, Scientists, sector, September, size, state, target, Target Surfaces, team, temperature, time, use, voltage, Voltage Light, Washington, width, width of a human hair, work

Blind people may soon be using their tongues to ‘see’

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Sep 2 (ANI): In a groundbreaking innovation, scientists have created an electronic device that may allow blind people to “see” using their tongues.

The extraordinary technology works by taking pictures filmed by a tiny camera, and turns the information into electrical pulses, which can be felt on the tongue.

Tests have shown that the nerves send messages to the brain, which turn these tingles back into pictures.

The tool, called the BrainPort vision device, resembles a pair of sunglasses attached by cable to a plastic lollipop.

Its users have revealed that they can make out shapes, and even read signs with fewer than 20 hours training only.

The scientists behind this innovation say that learning to picture images felt on the tongue is similar to learning to ride a bike.

The device, which collects visual data through a small digital video camera about 2.5cm in diameter, which sits in the middle of a pair of sunglasses worn by the user, could be available for sale later this year.

The information is then transmitted to a hand-held control unit, which is about the size of a mobile phone.

The unit converts the digital signal into electrical pulses and sends this to the tongue via the lollipop that sits on the tongue.

The lollipop contains a grid of 600 electrodes, which pulsate according to how much light is in that area of the picture.

The control unit allows users to zoom in and out and control light settings and electric shock intensity.

“At first, I was amazed at what the device could do. One guy started to cry when he saw his first letter,” News.com.au quoted William Seiple, research director at Lighthouse International, which has been testing it, as saying.

Robert Beckman, president of US-based Wicab which is developing the BrainPort, said: “It enables blind people to gain perception of their surroundings, displayed on their tongue. They cannot necessarily read a book but they can read a sign.”

Beckman is hoping that the device would be used to improve people’s mobility and safety. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: ANI, area, bike, book, brain, BrainPort, cable, camera, cannot, com, control, device, diameter, Digital Signal, Digital Video Camera, director, electric shock, Electrical Pulses, electrodes, electronic device, grid, Groundbreaking Innovation, guy, information, innovation, intensity, international, Learning To Ride A Bike, letter, light, Light Settings, lighthouse, Lighthouse International, Lollipop, Melbourne, middle, mobility, nerves, NEWS, pair, perception, Phone, picture, plastic, president, pulsate, Research, Research Director, Robert Beckman, safety, sale, Seiple, Sep, shock, sign, signal, size, Technology, technology works, tests, Tiny Camera, tongue, Tongues, tool, training, unit, US, us-based, user, video, vision, Vision Device, Wicab, William Seiple, year

Human-like ‘E-tongue’ created

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 2 (ANI): Scientists have created an “electronic tongue” that can digitally measure the taste of sweetness.

Under the leadership of Kenneth Suslick, a chemistry professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the revolutionary device, which makes use of a postage stamp-size piece of paper dotted with colored pigments, has been developed.

The study has appeared August 1 in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

“E-tongue” can identify with 100 percent accuracy the full sweep of natural and artificial sweet substances, including 14 common sweeteners, using easy-to-read color markers, reports National Geographic News.

Suslick’s team spent a decade developing colorimetric sensor arrays (PDF), where chemicals in each of the 16 to 36 micro dye spots reacted with sweet substances to produce color changes.

The colors tell not just which types of sweeteners are present, but also how much there is. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: accuracy, analytical, ANI, August, August 1, Champaign, chemistry, chemistry professor, color, Color Changes, Color Markers, Colored Pigments, decade, device, dye, Dye Spots, Electronic Tongue, geographic, Human-like, illinois, Illinois At Urbana, journal, Journal Analytical Chemistry, Kenneth Suslick, leadership, national, national geographic, National Geographic News, NEWS, paper, PDF, percent, piece, piece of paper, Postage, postage stamp, professor, revolutionary device, sensor, Sensor Arrays, Sept, Stamp Size, study, sweep, Sweeteners, sweetness, taste, team, tongue, University, University Of Illinois At Urbana, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, Urbana, use, Washington

Teddy bear-shaped nurse robot developed

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 1 (ANI): Japanese scientists have come up with a robot resembling a huge, happy teddy bear to help look after hospital patients.

RIBA, Robot for Interactive Body Assistance, which can lift a weight of 61 kg on its foam padded arms, is the work of the government-run Riken research institute.

Dr. Toshiharu Mukai, the lead researcher, said the device was developed to lift hospital patients in and out of their wheelchairs and beds.

“We have developed RIBA because we want to help caregivers when they are required to transfer patients between hospital beds and wheelchairs,” the Telegraph quoted Mukai as saying.

The robot, that can also recognise faces and voices and respond to up to 30 spoken commands, may be seen in hospitals and retirement homes within three years.

Mukai said battery-powered RIBA was based on a teddy bear because humanoid versions could leave people uncomfortable. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ANI, assistance, bear, body, device, faces, foam, hospital, Hospital Beds, hospital patients, hospitals, humanoid, institute, interactive, Interactive Body, japanese scientists, kg, London, Mukai, nurse, recognise, Research, researcher, retirement, RIBA, RIKEN, robot, September, Spoken Commands, Teddy, Teddy Bear, Telegraph, Toshiharu, voices, weight, wheelchairs, work

New Cytotron treatment effective in treating cancer patients in Bangalore

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bangalore, Aug 28 (ANI): The new Cytotron treatment that includes use of radio frequency, high power non-ionizing, non-thermal electromagnetic waves instead of high frequency radiation has emerged as a popular therapy for cancer patients in Bangalore.

Developed by Rajah Vijay Kumar of India in 1987, the Cytotron device helps in tissue regeneration, degeneration and repair for the purposes of treating several chronic or degenerative diseases such as cancer and arthritis.

The treatment modality is non-invasive, painless and free from side effects.

Clinical test have shown that Cytotron is very effective in curing certain conditions such as a damaged knee by regenerating the cartilage tissue.

Dr. Nayar of Ojus Health Care, Bangalore, said that Cytotron treated patients have survived for a longer period than patients treated by other methods.

“When there is hardly any chance of survival after one year, those kind of patients have been taken for the clinical trials and from that we found that as against the expected 0-5 per cent may be surviving after one year. We got a very interesting and encouraging result of may be up to 50 per cent in different series. So 40-50 per cent to even may be little more per cent of people are able to survive year or more,” said Dr. Nayar.

Dr. Nayar also said that the treatment is safe and healthy cells are not affected in any way.

“This is something, which is very unique. It’s safe. It’s absolutely harmless and with this machine, we can target it to the exact depth in the body tissue,” said Dr. Nayar.

One such success story of Cytotron treatment is that of Abraham, a surgeon-cum-cancer patient.

Abraham, who is a patient of arthritis, has been undergoing the treatment for the past 15 days. He said that he has found improvement in his conditions and is now able to walk without any pain.

“I felt the difference, the swelling came down and the pain also reduced. I felt some sort of relief in that one. So the actual duration day told 21 days, so after 15 days of treatment, it’s comfortable and my all the symptoms got relieved. I am finding improvement in my condition,” said Abraham.

Doctors consider Cytotron as a useful method to treat cancer. By Shweta ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: abraham, ANI, arthritis, Arthritis Treatment, Aug, Bangalore, body, body tissue, cancer, cancer patient, cancer patients, care, cartilage, Cartilage Tissue, cent, chance, clinical, Clinical Test, clinical trials, condition, Cytotron, day, degeneration, degenerative diseases, depth, device, difference, Dr. Nayar, duration, Electromagnetic Waves, Exact Depth, frequency, Health, high frequency, improvement, India, kind, knee, machine, method, modality, Nayar, New, Ojus, pain, patient, period, power, radiation, radio, radio frequency, rajah, regeneration, relief, repair, result, safe, series, Shweta, side, something, sort, story, success, success story, survival, test, therapy, tissue, Tissue Regeneration, treatment, Treatment Modality, use, vijay kumar, way, year

Now, an intelligent system to help the elderly avoid forgetting everyday tasks

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 28 (ANI): Scientists at the University of Granada (UGR) have announced the creation of a system that uses Artificial Intelligence techniques to help elderly people, or those with special needs, avoid forgetting certain everyday tasks.

The researchers have revealed that their system uses sensors distributed in the environment to detect people’s actions, and mobile devices to remind them.

Suppose, say the researchers, an elderly lady who is about to go to bed goes into her room, sits down on the bed, takes off her slippers, and turns off the light.

According to them, before she gets into bed, a small alarm will go off, and a mobile device will remind her that she has forgotten to take her tablets.

“It is a prototype which, in a non-intrusive manner, facilitates the control of the activity of people with special needs and increases their independence,” said Maria Ros Izquierdo, from the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering of the UGR.

The system recognizes the everyday actions of the users by means of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) labels. These labels are discreetly placed on the objects that the individuals touch most often, in such a way that, when they do so, a signal is sent to a computer or mobile device situated in the house itself or at an assistance centre some distance away.

To compile a list of actions-such as remembering to take the keys or the mobile phone before leaving home-the activities of the people are assessed with Artificial Intelligence techniques.

“It is not necessary to use cameras or microphones, and the devices which are used do not entail any technological complications for users, nor do they modify their daily routines,” said Ros.

To evaluate the novel system, the university team have also designed an intelligent space called ‘Tagged World’, which simulates the rooms of a house, with sensors embedded in the environment helping to recognize the behaviour of its occupants.

The researchers monitored each user so as to obtain an individualized database. They later verified with a test the reliability of the system and the degree of intrusion felt by the participants.

“The system does not modify the life of the users, but does positively modify that of the people who look after them,” indicated Ros, who recalled that elderly people or those with special needs often reject the aid of others and demand more independence.

The researcher believes that the new system may help to achieve this objective.

A research article describing the new system has been published in the Expert Systems with Applications magazine. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: activity, aid, alarm, ANI, Article, artificial, artificial intelligence techniques, assistance, Assistance Centre, August, bed, behaviour, centre, Computer, computer engineering, control, creation, database, degree, demand, device, distance, elderly lady, engineering, environment, everyday actions, everyday tasks, expert, frequency, Granada, house, identification, independence, intelligence, Intelligent Space, Intelligent System, intrusion, intrusive manner, lady, Leaving Home, life, light, list, magazine, manner, Maria Ros Izquierdo, mobile device, novel, Novel System, objective, People With Special Needs, Phone, prototype, radio, Radio Frequency Identification, Radio Frequency Identification Rfid, reliability, Research, researcher, RFID, room, ROS, school, signal, slippers, space, system, Tagged, team, technical, technical school, test, Those With Special Needs, ugr, University, university of granada, user, Washington, way, world

Scientific community wanted more tests, says Santhanam

August 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 27 (ANI): Top defence scientist Dr.K. Santhanam said on Thursday that the scientific community in India had felt after the May 1998 nuclear tests that there should be another test to complete the research.

Speaking to ANI after controversially revealing that Pokhran II tests were not entirely successful Santhanam said: “The Science and Technology Community as a whole wanted to have some more tests.”

“…but conducting a nuclear test is a highly political decision, and no matter the wish of scientific community may be, the political leadership of the country will have its say,” he added.

Santhanam also clarified that he had at no stage said the tests were a complete failure.

“I didn’t say it was a failure but partially successful,” Santhanam added.

He also said that in the reports given to the government, the scientists had mentioned the outcome of their experiments.

“The scientific community placed its reports about the out come of the tests. They are highly classified and the political leadership of the country is aware about that,” he said.

Maintaining his stand to go for more tests before signing CTBT or NPT Santhanam said, “Many people in the administration knew that India is in need of another test.”

“The energy released after the blast were measured and the energy release was much lower than what was expected by the designers. It was not a surprise to me,” Santhanam recalled.

India tested five nuclear devices including two-sub kilo category of thermo nuclear devices code named “Operation Shakti,” on May 11 and 13, 1998 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.

Countering Santhanam’s views, former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra said: “When they (scientists) said about the success of the tests in 1998, May 11 and 13, we asked whether they want to go for another test, but they (scientists) said No, and were satisfied by the tests.”

“It was very clear that based on their report only, we have announced it to the world. We have not lied to any one,” Mishra said adding it was only then that plans developed to discuss civil nuclear co-operation with the United States.

” In the entire scientific history, no country has gained 100 percent success in its first test of thermo nuclear device…if we get a chance, India should go for another test, especially of a thermonuclear device.” Santhanam said.

He, however, cautioned the country’s political leadership against signing either Comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) or Non – proliferation treaty (NPT).

The NPT is a highly discriminative treaty and divides the whole world into a nuclear haves and have nots, “Santhanam claimed.

Santhanam said the new Indo- US nuclear deal does not come in the way of going for more tests.

“There is one clause in the Indo- US nuclear deal that if the security scenario around the country changes, then we can go for a test, and the country’s leadership should take a decision to go for a test taking confidence of all the factors involved,” Santhanam said. By Shreeraj Gudi(ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: administration., advisor, ANI, Aug, ban, blast, Brajesh, Brajesh Mishra, category, chance, clause, code, community, comprehensive, confidence, countering, country, CTBT, deal, decision, defence, Defence Scientist, designers, device, Dr.K. Santhanam, energy, energy release, failure, Former National Security Advisor, Government, Gudi, history, India, indo-, kilo, leadership, maintaining, matter, May, mishra, national, national security advisor, need, New Delhi, non, NPT, Nuclear Devices, Nuclear Test, Nuclear Tests, operation, Operation Shakti, outcome, percent, pokhran, political decision, political leadership, proliferation, Rajasthan, release, report, Research, Santhanam, scenario, Science, science and technology, scientific, scientist, Scientists, security, Shakti, Shreeraj, stage, stand, success, surprise, Technology, Technology Community, test, Thermo, thermonuclear, Thursday, treaty, United States, US, way, whole, wish, world

‘Mobile ID’ devices herald next generation of biometric gadgets

August 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 27 (ANI): Reports indicate that a new generation of small, portable, versatile biometric devices, referred to as ‘Mobile ID’, are flourishing.

These devices gather, process and transmit an individual’s biometric data, which includes fingerprints, facial and iris images.

They were developed by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) researchers working with first responders, criminal justice agencies, the military, industry and academia.

Previous work on standards for these biometric devices has focused primarily on getting different stationary and desktop systems with hardwired processing pathways to work together in an interoperable manner.

But, a new generation of small, portable and versatile biometric devices are raising new issues for interoperability.

“The proliferation of smaller devices including advanced personal digital assistants (PDAs), ultra-portable personal computers and high-speed cellular networks has made portable biometric systems a reality,” said computer scientist Shahram Orandi.

“While the portable systems have made leaps and bounds in terms of capability, there are still intrinsic limitations that must be factored into the big picture to ensure interoperability with the larger, more established environments such as desktop or large server-based systems,” he added.

The new mobile biometric devices allow first responders, police, the military and criminal justice organizations to collect biometric data with a handheld device on a street corner or in a remote area and then wirelessly send it to be compared to other samples on watch lists and databases in near real-time.

Identities can be determined quickly without having to take a subject to a central facility to collect his or her biometrics, which is not always possible.

Soldiers are beginning to use these devices to control access to secured areas, and first responders can use them to ensure that only approved workers are on-site during an incident or investigation. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: academia, access, ANI, area, August, biometric data, Biometric Devices, Biometric Systems, biometrics, capability, Cellular Networks, Computer, Computer Scientist, corner, Criminal Justice Agencies, Criminal Justice Organizations, desktop, Desktop Systems, device, facility, fingerprints, generation, Handheld Device, identities, incident, individual, industry, institute, interoperability, Intrinsic Limitations, investigation, justice, Leaps And Bounds, manner, military, Military Industry, Mobile, national, national institute of standards, national institute of standards and technology, new generation, NIST, Orandi, PDAs, personal digital assistants, picture, police, portable, Portable Personal Computers, process, processing, proliferation, reality, scientist, Shahram, standards, street, subject, Technology, technology researchers, versatile, Washington, watch, work

Novel device to wash away bedsores, chronic ulcers

August 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 27 (ANI): Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a unique device, called Dermastream, which could heal bedsores and chronic ulcers in bedridden elderly and infirm.

When ill, such people are prone to painful and dangerous pressure ulcers, and diabetics are susceptible to wounds caused by a lack of blood flow to the extremities.

“The problem is chronic,” said Prof. Amihay Freeman of TAU’s Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology.

And thus, he developed Dermastream, that uses a solution to whisk away dead tissue, bathing the wound while keeping dangerous bacteria away.

The device provides an enzyme-based solution that flows continuously over the wound, offering an alternative treatment to combat a problem for which current treatments are costly and labour-intensive.

Freeman said that Dermastream has already passed clinical trials in Israeli hospitals and may be available in the U.S. within the next year.

Dermastream employs a special solution developed at Freeman’s TAU laboratory, thus offering a new approach to chronic wound care- a specialty known as “continuous streaming therapy.”

“Our basic idea is simple. We treat the wound by streaming a solution in a continuous manner. Traditional methods require wound scraping to remove necrotic tissue. That is expensive, painful and extremely uncomfortable to the patient.

And while active ingredients applied with bandages on a wound may work for a couple of hours, after that the wound fights back. The bacteria build up again, creating a tedious and long battle,” said Freeman.

Dermastream “flows” under a plastic cover that seals the wound, providing negative pressure that promotes faster healing.

The active biological ingredient, delivered in a hypertonic medium, works to heal hard-to-shake chronic wounds.

Freeman said that while traditional bandaging methods may take months to become fully effective, Dermastream can heal chronic wounds in weeks.

Dermastream is intended for use in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and homecare.

Freeman has founded a company that is currently collaborating with a Veterans Association hospital in Tucson, AZ, to bring the technology to the U.S. market.

“My solution helps doctors regain control of the chronic wound, making management more efficient, and vastly improving the quality of their patients’ lives,” concluded Freeman. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: Active Ingredients, alternative treatment, Amihay, ANI, approach, association, Aug, aviv, bandages, bathing, battle, Biotechnology, blood, blood flow, care, chronic, Chronic Ulcers, Chronic Wound Care, Chronic Wounds, clinical trials, company, Continuous Manner, control, couple, cover, Dangerous Bacteria, Dead Tissue, department, Dermastream, device, diabetics, extremities, flow, Freeman, healing, homecare, hospital, idea, infirm, ingredient, Laboratory, lack, management, manner, market, medium, microbiology, molecular, molecular microbiology, Necrotic Tissue, new approach, novel, novel device, nursing, Outpatient, patient, plastic, pressure, pressure ulcers, problem, prof, quality, solution, specialty, tau, Technology, tel, tel aviv university, therapy, tissue, treatment, Tucson, University, US, use, veterans, Washington, whisk, wound, year

New technique to help Parkinson’s patients speak louder

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 26 (ANI): Scientists from Purdue University’s Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences have come up with a novel technique that would help Parkinson’s patients speak louder.

“People with Parkinson’s disease commonly have voice and speech problems,” said Jessica Huber, an associate professor in Purdue’s Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

“At some point in their disease they will have some form of voice or speech disorder that generally occurs a little later in the disease,” she added.

The most common therapy, the Lee Silverman voice treatment program, trains patients to speak louder in one-hour sessions four days a week for a month.

“Some Parkinson’s patients do great with this approach, but others do not. They forget to keep speaking louder the minute they have left the therapy room,” said Huber.

Lee Silverman tends to work less for people with later stages of disease or those who have some cognitive decline.

Huber used a new approach: The patients were asked to speak louder while a recording of background “multitalker babble noise” was played. The noise is essentially the sound of a restaurant full of patrons, but without the clattering silverware and clinking glasses.

“They had an easier time getting louder when I had the noise in the room,” she said.

“Ordinarily, when I asked them to be twice as loud they would say they couldn’t. They couldn’t speak 10 decibels louder, but when I turned on the babble noise, they spoke over 10 decibels louder,” she added.

In the device built by engineering resources manager Jim Jones and senior research engineer Kirk Foster, both in the Weldon School, the voice-activated device automatically plays the background babble when the person begins to speak.

A sensor placed on the neck detects that the person has begun to speak and tells the device to play the babble through an earpiece worn by the patient.

“I got the idea that if we train them with a natural cue in their everyday environment, we will probably get better results. We ask them to wear the system for about four hours a day as they go about their daily routine,” she added.(ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: 10 Decibels, ANI, approach, associate professor, Aug, background, cognitive decline, cue, day, decline, department, device, disease, disorder, earpiece, engineer, Engineering Resources, environment, form, Hearing Sciences, Huber, idea, Jessica Huber, jim jones, Kirk Foster, language, Lee Silverman, Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, manager, minute, month, multitalker, neck, New, new approach, noise, novel, Novel Technique, parkinson, patient, patrons, person, point, professor, program, Program Trains, Purdue, purdue university, recording, Research, research engineer, restaurant, room, routine, school, sensor, silverware, sound, speech, Speech Disorder, Speech Language, Speech Problems, system, technique, therapy, time, treatment, University, voice, Washington, week, Weldon, weldon school

Soon, soundwaves may help find early dental decay

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 25 (ANI): Aussie researchers are developing a tool that can use sound waves to identify early stages of tooth decay by measuring the mineral content of teeth.

Tooth decay begins by acid-forming bacteria eating away at the enamel, causing minerals to leach from it, softening, and weakening the tooth.

Sometimes dentists can identify this demineralisation by seeing a change in the colour of the tooth, or by looking at x-rays.

They also use sharp probes that test the hardness of the enamel, and find where the rot has set in, but all such probes can be painful and cause unnecessary damage to the teeth.

But PhD researcher David Hsiao-Chuan Wang, from the University of Sydney, and colleagues are now developing a less invasive new technique to measure mineral content of teeth, using sound waves generated by laser pulses.

“We want to be able to be able to quantify mineral content of the dental enamel,” ABC Online quoted Wang as saying.

He added: “We can keep the laser power below a damaging threshold.”

Laser pulses aimed at the tooth set up a series of high frequency sound waves (ultrasound) that travel through the enamel surface, penetrating it to different depths.

As a soundwave moves through a demineralised part of the tooth, it changes its speed, which can be detected.

Each soundwave penetrates to different depths of the enamel, depending on its wavelength, enabling a profile of the tooth to be built up, showing where decay has begun.

The researchers first tested the system on different known materials, before testing it on extracted human tooth.

They still have to test the system on teeth in patients, but firstly they need to develop a convenient handheld device and obtain ethics permission to trial it in humans.

Wang said that a prototype of the hand-held device could be ready in two years.

Professor Ian Meyers of the Australian Dental Association has said that testing the technique in the mouth is important, as saliva affects the property of teeth enamel.

Meyers also said that when decay was detected early, fillings could be avoided by either stopping the demineralisation through better oral care.

Otherwise, it could also be possible to re-mineralise the tooth by using products specifically designed for this purpose.

He said that the new technique could add to the range of tools available for dentists to identify early stages of decay, as long as it is affordable

Wang has estimated that the new tool would cost “below 50,000 dollars”, and complement rather than replace conventional methods.

He said that the ultrasound technique would be particularly useful in research, especially in evaluating the effectiveness of remineralisation treatments.

The study has been published in the journal Optics Express. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: abc, ANI, association, Aug, aussie, australian, Australian Dental Association, care, change, chuan, colour, content, damage, David Hsiao-, decay, demineralisation, dental, dental decay, Dental Enamel, device, effectiveness, enamel, enamel surface, Express, frequency, Frequency Sound, Handheld Device, high frequency, Hsiao, human tooth, journal, laser, Laser Power, Laser Pulses, leach, mineral, Mineral Content, mouth, Online, optics, part, permission, PhD, power, professor ian, Professor Ian Meyers, profile, property, prototype, purpose, range, remineralisation, Research, researcher, rot, saliva, series, sound, sound waves, soundwave, speed, study, surface, sydney, system, technique, Teeth Decay, test, threshold, tool, tooth, tooth decay, travel, trial, ultrasound, University, university of sydney, Unnecessary Damage, Wang, Washington, wavelength, x rays

Pregnant women recommended not to use fetal heart rate monitors

August 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 21 (ANI): Pregnant women are being recommended against the use of Doppler devices, an ultrasound transducer used to detect the baby’s heartbeat, at home.

Dr Thomas Aust and colleagues from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Arrowe Park Hospital, in British Medical Journal, explained the case of 27-year-old woman who presented to their labour ward with reduced fetal movements.

The authors said the woman first observed a reduction in her baby’s activity two days earlier but reassured herself after using her own Doppler device, which is not intended to replace recommended antenatal care.

The antenatal care team monitored the fetal movements, which were less than comforting, and a caesarean section was carried out later that evening to deliver the baby, who remained on the special care baby unit for eight weeks.

Though the experts did not determine if self-monitoring altered the outcome in this case, posters in their antenatal areas advising that patients do not use these devices had been put up. (ANI)

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: activity, ANI, antenatal, Antenatal Care, Arrowe, Arrowe Park Hospital, August, August 21, aust, baby, baby unit, British, British Medical Journal, caesarean, caesarean section, care, case, Case Posters, colleagues, department, device, Doppler, Dr Thomas Aust, dr thomas, evening, Fetal Heart Rate, Fetal Movements, Gynaecology, heart, heartbeat, home, hospital, journal, labour, Labour Ward, London, medical, obstetrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, old woman, outcome, park, pregnant, Pregnant women, rate, reduction, section, team, transducer, ultrasound, Ultrasound Baby, Ultrasound Transducer, unit, use, ward, woman

Britons spend 1 month of their lives looking for TV remote!

Despite IAEA findings, Iran sings its old nuke-for-peaceful-purposes tune

Catalyst simulations for fuel cells may make clean cars a reality

New air filter system can destroy up to 99.9 per cent of bugs on aircraft

Sound recordings can help detect obstructive sleep apnoea

Soon, robot controlled by human brain cells

Two injured in IED blast in Srinagar

‘NanoPen’ may revolutionise electronics sector, medical diagnostic tests

Blind people may soon be using their tongues to ‘see’

Human-like ‘E-tongue’ created

Teddy bear-shaped nurse robot developed

New Cytotron treatment effective in treating cancer patients in Bangalore

Scientific community wanted more tests, says Santhanam

‘Mobile ID’ devices herald next generation of biometric gadgets

Novel device to wash away bedsores, chronic ulcers

New technique to help Parkinson’s patients speak louder

Soon, soundwaves may help find early dental decay

Pregnant women recommended not to use fetal heart rate monitors

Search More News

Technology News

Ads