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Monday, December 14, 2009

NVIDIA-Powered Supercomputer to Elucidate Universal Mysteries

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The GPU-powered cluster based in Taiwan is about to start its first big assignment at the hands of a research team from the National Taiwan University (NTU). The team will attempt to more closely analyze the behavior of subatomic particles.

University of Toronto physicists lay the groundwork for cooler, faster computing

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University of Toronto quantum optics researchers Sajeev John and Xun Ma have discovered new behaviours of light within photonic crystals that could lead to faster optical information processing and compact computers that don't overheat.

"We discovered that by sculpting a unique artificial vacuum inside a photonic crystal, we can completely control the electronic state of artificial atoms within the vacuum," says Ma, a PhD student under John's supervision and lead author of a study published in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters.

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RFID Helps Naval Ships Defend Themselves From Missile Attacks

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Lockheed Martin offers RFID functionality with its decoy-launching system, to help international navies ensure they fire the proper rounds.

The RFID technology offers ship's personnel real-time visibility into which types of decoys are deployed, as well as which barrels they are installed in, and helps ensure that the proper round is fired off, potentially in a split-second decision, while the vessel is under attack.

Scientists isolate new antifreeze molecule in Alaska beetle

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Scientists have identified a novel antifreeze molecule in a freeze-tolerant Alaska beetle able to survive temperatures below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike all previously described biological antifreezes that contain protein, this new molecule, called xylomannan, has little or no protein. It is composed of a sugar and a fatty acid and may exist in new places within the cells of organisms.

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Computer Models How Brain Cells Reach a Decision

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In a study published online December 13 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Xiao-Jing Wang, professor of neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine and at the Kavli Institute of Neuroscience, proposes that synapses—the connections between neurons—are capable of computing probabilities from observed cues in order to make a statistical inference.

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Strong Authentication Not Strong Enough

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Two-factor authentication -- used to protect online bank accounts with both a password and a computer-generated one-time passcode -- is supposed to be more secure than relying on a single password.

But Gartner Research VP Avivah Litan warns that cyber criminals have had success defeating two-factor authentication systems in Web browsing sessions using Trojan-based man-in-the-middle attacks.

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A Breakthrough for Hydrogen Storage?

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On Nov. 25, Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing (known by its German acronym, BAM) released results of nearly two years of tests on C.En’s technology, which involves the storage of compressed hydrogen inside bundles of thin, strong tubes of glass, known as capillary arrays. “The lightweight storage and safety factors give the technology a huge commercial potential for a whole range of industries.


'Smart' appliances need variable electricity rates

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Smart grid technology, including so-called smart appliances, have the ability to help consumers cut their electricity use and shave their utility bills--but only if three pieces fall into place, according to AHAM. Those include time-of-use electricity rates, open communications standards, and products that let consumers retain full control of their home appliances.

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X-51A WaveRider Gets First Ride Aboard B-52

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The X-51A Waverider was carried aloft for the first time Dec. 9 by an Air Force Flight Test Center B-52 Stratofortress over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.The test was a key milestone in preparation for the X-51 to light its supersonic combustion ramjet engine and propel the WaverRider at hypersonic speed for about five minutes, before plunging into the Pacific Ocean.

Nanocrystals Create an Insulator Better Than Pure Vacuum

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Vacuum's emptiness doesn't just pose a problem for space travelers -- a vacuum lining is also one of the best known insulators on Earth, and may help keep those holiday drinks and soups warm in your thermos. Now scientists have found that layering photonic crystals within the vacuum lining can even prevent heat loss from invisible infrared radiation.

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Nuclear-Powered Transponder for Cyborg Insect

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Engineers develop radioisotope MEMS power source for insect spy program.

Cornell University engineers presented research that shows progress in powering cybernetic organisms with a radioactive fuel source.

Electrical engineering associate professor Amit Lal and graduate student Steven Tin presented a prototype microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transmitter—an RF-emitting device powered by a radioactive source with a half-life of 12 years, meaning that it could operate autonomously for decades.

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Weaponized RipSaw-MS2 UGV Evaluated for Convoy Security & Support

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Most UGV programs are utilizing vehicles that move rather slowly and require relatively complex control, lacking effective 360 degrees situational awareness. Consequently, they can be easily outmaneuvered and disabled by an enemy that could get close or out run the robot. The U.S. Army is evaluating a much larger, powerful, agile and lethal robot developed by the Hawe & Hawe (H&H) company, known as 'RipSaw Military Specification 2', that offers many advantages that minimize such vulnerabilities.

Can the 'silver bullet' of printing revolutionize electronics?

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Scientists are claiming to have found the "silver bullet" that will enable the cheap, easy printing of electronic components and transform the way we use computers.

Researchers at Xerox say that a new silver ink technology will allow them to add computer power to a wide range of plastics and fabrics, and pave the way for a remarkable range of new products.


Bye-Bye Bomber - End to B2, B52

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A study just published by the Air Force's main lobbying organization, the Air Force Association, concludes that the nation "should gradually shift to a dyad" of submarines and missiles, phasing out bombers. The reasoning: the nation's bomber fleet is largely antiquated, and the latest-generation plane, the bat-winged B-2 (also known as the stealth bomber), costs about $2 billion apiece. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other Pentagon officials have indicated that such expensive piloted bombers may no longer be affordable.

China flies air-launched cruise missile

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The US has the AGM-86, Russia has the KH-55 and China now has the CJ-10K.

The Chinese Military Aviation blog (.cn domain) on Saturday posted the above photo of the CJ-10K aloft under the wing of an H-6 bomber. The blog says the missile's range is between 1,500km and 2,500km.

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Lockheed Test-Fires Proposed Warrior Cannon

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Lockheed Martin UK has test-fired the new CT40 cannon in the turret it is proposing for a 1 billion pound upgrade of British Army Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.