Showing 20 articles starting at article 141
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Energy: Nuclear, Mathematics: Statistics
Published How long can exotic nuclei survive at the edge of stability?


A new study has measured how long it takes for several kinds of exotic nuclei to decay. The paper marks the first experimental result from the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. It is just a small taste of what's to come at the facility, which will become 400 times more powerful over the coming years. Scientists used the facility to better understand nuclei, the collection of protons and neutrons found at the heart of atoms. Understanding these basic building blocks allows scientists to refine their best models and has applications in medicine, national security, and industry.
Published New statistical method improves genomic analyzes


A new statistical method provides a more efficient way to uncover biologically meaningful changes in genomic data that span multiple conditions -- such as cell types or tissues.
Published Material separates heavy water from ordinary water


A research group has made a material that can effectively separate heavy water from normal water at room temperature. Until now, this process has been very difficult and energy intensive. The findings have implications for industrial -- and even biological -- processes that involve using different forms of the same molecule.
Published Mathematical modeling suggests U.S. counties are still unprepared for COVID spikes



America was unprepared for the magnitude of the pandemic, which overwhelmed many counties and filled some hospitals to capacity. A new study suggests there may have been a mathematical method, of sorts, to the madness of those early COVID days.
Published Physicists confirm hitch in proton structure


A new precision measurement of the proton's electric polarizability has confirmed an unexplained bump in the data. The proton's electric polarizability shows how susceptible the proton is to deformation, or stretching, in an electric field. Like size or charge, the electric polarizability is a fundamental property of proton structure. The data bump was widely thought to be a fluke when seen in earlier measurements, so this new, more precise measurement confirms the presence of the anomaly and signals that an unknown facet of the strong force may be at work.
Published Our brains use quantum computation


A team of scientists believe our brains could use quantum computation, after adapting an idea developed to prove the existence of quantum gravity to explore the human brain and its workings. The brain functions measured were also correlated to short-term memory performance and conscious awareness, suggesting quantum processes are also part of cognitive and conscious brain functions. Quantum brain processes could explain why we can still outperform supercomputers when it comes to unforeseen circumstances, decision making, or learning something new, while the discovery may also shed light on consciousness, the workings of which remain scientifically difficult to understand and explain.
Published Statistical oversight could explain inconsistencies in nutritional research


People often wonder why one nutritional study tells them that eating too many eggs, for instance, will lead to heart disease and another tells them the opposite. The answer to this and other conflicting food studies may lie in the use of statistics, according to a new report.
Published Biomarkers used to track benefits of anti-aging therapies can be misleading, suggests nematode study


Researchers followed the birth and death of tens of thousands of nematode worms using the 'Lifespan Machine', which collects lifespan data at unprecedented statistical resolution. They found that worms have at least two distinct 'biological ages', and that these have consistent correlations between each other, suggesting the existence of an invisible hierarchical structure that regulates the ageing process. The findings challenge the idea of living organisms having a single, universal biological age. It also means mean that biomarkers used to assess biological age can be changed by interventions such as diet, exercise, or drug treatments without actually turning a 'fast ager' into a 'slow ager'. The study calls into question the use of ageing biomarkers -- what exactly are they measuring?
Published Hackmanite mineral changes color also upon exposure to nuclear radiation


Researchers have long studied the color-changing properties of the natural mineral hackmanite upon exposure to UV radiation or X-rays. Now, the research group studied the reactions of synthetic hackmanite to nuclear radiation. The researchers discovered a one-of-a-kind and novel intelligent quality, gamma exposure memory, which allows the use of hackmanite as e.g. radiation detector.
Published New software platform advances understanding of the surface finish of manufactured components


The contact.engineering platform enables users to create a digital twin of a surface and thus to help predict, for example, how quickly it wears out, how well it conducts heat, or how well it adheres to other materials.
Published Pushing the boundaries of chemistry: Properties of heaviest element studied so far measured at GSI/FAIR


Researchers have gained new insights into the chemical properties of the superheavy element flerovium -- element 114 -- at the accelerator facilities of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt. The measurements show that flerovium is the most volatile metal in the periodic table.
Published Healthcare researchers must be wary of misusing AI


A commentary advocates the proper application of artificial intelligence in healthcare and warns of the dangers when machine learning algorithms are misused.
Published New method to identify symmetries in data using Bayesian statistics


Scientists have developed a method to identify symmetries in multi-dimensional data using Bayesian statistical techniques. Bayesian statistics has been in the spotlight in recent years due to improvements in computer performance and its potential applications in artificial intelligence. However, this statistical approach requires complex calculations of integrals, which are often considered approximations only. In their new study, the research team successfully derived new exact integral formulas. Their findings contribute to improving the accuracy of methods to identify data symmetries, possibly extending their applications to wider areas of interest, such as genetic analysis.
Published Less risk, less costs: Portable spectroscopy devices could soon become real


Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an analytical tool with a wide range of applications, including the magnetic resonance imaging that is used for diagnostic purposes in medicine. However, NMR often requires powerful magnetic fields to be generated, which limits the scope of its use. Researchers have now discovered potential new ways to reduce the size of the corresponding devices and also the possible associated risk by eliminating the need for strong magnetic fields. This is achieved by combining so-called zero- to ultralow-field NMR with a special hyperpolarization technique.
Published Particles pick pair partners differently in small nuclei


The protons and neutrons that build the nucleus of the atom frequently pair up. Now, a new high-precision experiment has found that these particles may pick different partners depending on how packed the nucleus is. The data also reveal new details about short-distance interactions between protons and neutrons in nuclei and may impact results from experiments seeking to tease out further details of nuclear structure.
Published Elemental research: Scientists apply boron to tungsten components in fusion facilities


Scientists at have conducted research showing that a powder dropper can successfully drop boron powder into high-temperature plasma within tokamaks that have parts made of a heat-resistant material known as tungsten.
Published The electron slow motion: Ion physics on the femtosecond scale


How do different materials react to the impact of ions? This is a question that plays an important role in many areas of research -- for example in nuclear fusion research, when the walls of the fusion reactor are bombarded by high-energy ions. However, it is difficult to understand the temporal sequence of such processes. A research group has now succeeded in analyzing on a time scale of one femtosecond what happens to the individual particles involved when an ion penetrates materials such as graphene or molybdenum disulphide.
Published 2D array of electron and nuclear spin qubits opens new frontier in quantum science


By using photons and electron spin qubits to control nuclear spins in a two-dimensional material, researchers have opened a new frontier in quantum science and technology, enabling applications like atomic-scale nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and to read and write quantum information with nuclear spins in 2D materials.
Published Upgrade for magnetic resonance methods with a 1,000-fold amplifier


Researchers determine the structure and dynamics of proteins using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy. Until now, however, much higher concentrations were necessary for in-vitro measurements of the biomolecules in solution than found in our body's cells. An NMR method enhanced by a very powerful amplifier, in combination with molecular dynamics simulation, now enables their detection and accurate characterization at physiological concentrations.
Published A better way to quantify radiation damage in materials


Researchers find much of the damage inside nuclear reactors is so small that it has eluded previous tests. Their new tool provides a way to directly measure this damage, potentially opening a path for the safe operation of nuclear power plants far beyond their present licensed lifetimes.