Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

Gamers can have their cake and eat it too      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research from Japan shows that multiple cognitive abilities may be empirically measured from a complex game experience depending on the game's design.

Mathematics: General Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

The way you talk to your child about math matters      (via sciencedaily.com) 

'You're so smart!' -- This encouraging response may actually do more harm than good to children's math performance, according to a new study. The study found that encouraging children with responses related to their personal traits or innate abilities may dampen their math motivation and achievement over time.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Low-cost disease diagnosis by mapping heart sounds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers develop a method to identify aortic valve dysfunction using complex network analysis that is accurate, simple to use, and low-cost. They used heart sound data to create a complex network of connected points, which was split into sections, and each part was represented with a node. If the sound in two portions was similar, a line was drawn between them. In a healthy heart, the graph showed two distinct clusters of points, with many nodes unconnected. A heart with aortic stenosis contained many more correlations and edges.

Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

Reasons behind gamer rage in children are complex -- and children are good at naming them      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Children's outbursts of rage while playing digital games are causing both concern and public debate around the topic. Taking a novel approach to gamer rage, a new study examines the topic from a child's perspective, finding complex reasons for gamer rage in children.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Saturn V was loud but didn't melt concrete      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Abundant internet claims about the acoustic power of the Saturn V suggest that it melted concrete and lit grass on fire over a mile away, but such ideas are undeniably false. Researchers used a physics-based model to estimate the rocket's acoustic levels and obtained a value of 203 decibels, which matched the limited data from the 1960s. So, while the Saturn V was extremely loud, that kind of power is nowhere near enough to melt concrete or start grass fires.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Do wind instruments disperse COVID aerosol droplets?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Orchestral ensembles have faced many challenges when starting to perform again during the COVID pandemic, and contamination is a chief concern: specifically, whether wind instruments are vectors of contamination through aerosol dispersion. Researchers worked with musicians to deepen our understanding of how much aerosol is produced and dispersed by wind instruments. They used visualization to characterize the flow, tracked fog particles in the air, and measured aerosol concentration from wind instruments with a particle counter. Then they combined these to develop an equation to describe aerosol dispersion.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Using sound and bubbles to make bandages stickier and longer lasting      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered that they can control the stickiness of adhesive bandages using ultrasound waves and bubbles. This breakthrough could lead to new advances in medical adhesives, especially in cases where adhesives are difficult to apply such as on wet skin.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Ultrasound could save racehorses from bucked shins      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When racehorses enter training at about 2 years old, they can develop tiny stress fractures and new bone formations in their legs. This condition, called bucked shin, occurs in about 70% of the animals. Researchers have now developed a method to screen for bucked shin using ultrasound. Axial transmission, in which an ultrasound emitter and receiver are placed on the skin to induce and measure wave velocities, is frequently used to study osteoporosis in humans. The method could detect bucked shin more easily and preserve the health and growth of young horses.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Leadership online: Charisma matters most in video communication      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Managers need to make a consistent impression in order to motivate and inspire people, and that applies even more to video communication than to other digital channels. Researchers investigated the influence that charismatic leadership tactics used in text, audio and video communication channels have on employee performance. They focused on mobile work and the gig economy, in which jobs are flexibly assigned to freelancers via online platforms.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Engineers develop stickers that can see inside the body      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineers designed an adhesive patch that produces ultrasound images of the body. The stamp-sized device sticks to skin and can provide continuous ultrasound imaging of internal organs for 48 hours.

Computer Science: Encryption Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

A key role for quantum entanglement      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A method known as quantum key distribution has long held the promise of communication security unattainable in conventional cryptography. An international team of scientists has now demonstrated experimentally, for the first time, an approach to quantum key distribution that is based on high-quality quantum entanglement -- offering much broader security guarantees than previous schemes.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Improving image sensors for machine vision      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers highlight the latest nanostructured components integrated on image sensor chips that are most likely to make the biggest impact in multimodal imaging and detailed a promising approach to detect multiple-band spectra by fabricating an on-chip spectrometer. The developments could enable autonomous vehicles to see around corners instead of just a straight line, biomedical imaging to detect abnormalities at different tissue depths, and telescopes to see through interstellar dust.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Flexible method for shaping laser beams extends depth-of-focus for OCT imaging      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a new method for flexibly creating various needle-shaped laser beams. These long, narrow beams can be used to improve optical coherence tomography (OCT), a noninvasive and versatile imaging tool that is used for scientific research and various types of clinical diagnoses.

Computer Science: Encryption Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

'Pulling back the curtain' to reveal a molecular key to The Wizard of Oz      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Many people and companies worry about sensitive data getting hacked, so encrypting files with digital keys has become more commonplace. Now, researchers have developed a durable molecular encryption key from sequence-defined polymers that are built and deconstructed in a sequential way. They hid their molecular key in the ink of a letter, which was mailed and then used to decrypt a file with text from a classic story.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Music-making and the flow of aerosols      (via sciencedaily.com) 

If simply breathing can spread the SARS-CoV-2 virus to others nearby, what about blowing into a tuba? Researchers used fluid mechanics to study the movement of aerosols generated by professional musicians.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Eco-friendly sound absorbers from seaweed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

From airplanes to apartments, most spaces are now designed with sound-absorbing materials that help dampen the droning, echoing and murmuring sounds of everyday life. But most of the acoustic materials that can cancel out human voices, traffic and music are made from plastic foams that aren't easily recycled or degraded. Now, researchers have created a biodegradable seaweed-derived film that effectively absorbs sounds in this range.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Scientists invent 'quantum flute' that can make particles of light move together      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Physicists have invented a 'quantum flute' that, like the Pied Piper, can coerce particles of light to move together in a way that's never been seen before.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Hearing better with skin than ears      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team develops a sound-sensing skin-attachable acoustic sensor. The new sensor decreased in size and increased in flexibility and is applicable as auditory electronic skin.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Optical microphone sees sound like never before      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A camera system can see sound vibrations with such precision and detail that it can reconstruct the music of a single instrument in a band or orchestra. Even the most high-powered and directed microphones can't eliminate nearby sounds, ambient noise and the effect of acoustics when they capture audio. The novel system uses two cameras and a laser to sense high-speed, low-amplitude surface vibrations. These vibrations can be used to reconstruct sound, capturing isolated audio without inference or a microphone.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can control prostate cancer with fewer side effects      (via sciencedaily.com) 

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can help some men with prostate cancer avoid surgery or radiation.