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Hips Take Walking in Stride; Ankles Put Best Foot Forward in Run

By Guest PostMay 30, 2011Scienceankles, applied force, captured data, dominic farris, energy, gregory sawicki, hips, human power lab, human walking, humans, knees, motors, next generation robotics, north carolina state university, physiology of wearable robotics, prosthetic devices, royal society scientific journal, running motions, sawicki and farris, treadmill, walk

In a first-of-its-kind study comparing human walking and running motions – and whether the hips, knees or ankles are the most important power sources for these motions – researchers at North Carolina State University show that the hips generate more of the power when people walk, but the ankles generate more of the power when humans run. Knees provide approximately one-fifth or less of walking or running power.

The research could help inform the best ways of building assistive or prosthetic devices for humans, or constructing next-generation robotics, say NC State biomedical engineers Drs. Dominic Farris and Gregory Sawicki. The co-authors of a study on the mechanics of walking and running in the journal Interface, a Royal Society scientific journal, Sawicki and Farris are part of NC State’s Human PoWeR (Physiology of Wearable Robotics) Lab. (more…)

Study Finds More Efficient Means Of Creating, Arranging Carbon Nanofibers

By Guest PostMarch 19, 2011Sciencecarbon nanofibers, diameter of nanofibers, ligand monolayers, ligands, nanofibers, nanoparticles, nickel nanoparticles, north carolina state university, organic molecules, time-consuming, trioctylphosphine

Carbon nanofibers hold promise for technologies ranging from medical imaging devices to precise scientific measurement tools, but the time and expense associated with uniformly creating nanofibers of the correct size has been an obstacle – until now. A new study from North Carolina State University demonstrates an improved method for creating carbon nanofibers of specific sizes, as well as explaining the science behind the method.

“Carbon nanofibers have a host of potential applications, but their utility is affected by their diameter – and controlling the diameter of nanofibers has historically been costly and time-consuming,” says Dr. Anatoli Melechko, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the study. (more…)

Just Like Me: Online Training Helpers More Effective When They Resemble Students

By Guest PostMarch 5, 2011Education, Technologygeorge washington, giving feedback, north carolina state university, online training programs, similarity effects, specific aspect, teaching children

Opposites don’t always attract. A study from North Carolina State University shows that participants are happier – and perform better – when the electronic helpers used in online training programs resemble the participants themselves.

“It is important that the people who design online training programs understand that one size does not fit all,” says Dr. Lori Foster Thompson, an associate professor of psychology at NC State and co-author of the study. “Efforts to program helper agents that may be tailored to individuals can yield very positive results for the people taking the training.” (more…)

Children Of Working Moms Face More Health Problems

By Guest PostFebruary 17, 2011Culture, Healthchildren of working mothers, child’s risk, dr. melinda morrill, health problems, north carolina state university, poole college of management, school-age children

Children of working mothers are significantly more likely to experience health problems, including asthma and accidents, than children of mothers who don’t work, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

“I don’t think anyone should make sweeping value judgments based on a mother’s decision to work or not work,” says Dr. Melinda Morrill, research assistant professor of economics at NC State and author of the study. “But, it is important that we are aware of the costs and benefits associated with a mother’s decision to work.” (more…)

NC State and IBM Researchers Discover New Way to Patch Holes in The ‘Cloud’

By Guest PostNovember 30, 2010Technologychinese goddess, cloud, cloud computing, cloud computing patch tool, computer systems, cyber-attacks, ibm, mirage, north carolina state university, nuwa, patching systems, peng ning, security upgrades, sky, update, virtual machines, vms

Researchers from North Carolina State University and IBM have invented a way to update computer systems packaged in virtual machines in a computer “cloud” – even when those programs are offline.

The new cloud computing patch tool developed by NC State and IBM is called Nuwa and protects virtual machines (VMs) from cyber-attacks by ensuring that they always receive important security upgrades. In addition, the researchers have determined that offline application of security patches is more than four times faster than online patch application. The tool is named after a Chinese goddess who patched a hole in the sky. (more…)

Lower Part of Earth’s Atmosphere is Warming, Data Review Concludes

By Guest PostNovember 16, 2010Environmentatmosphere, climate models, earth, lower part, north carolina state university, troposphere, warming

The troposphere, the lower part of the atmosphere closest to the Earth, is warming in ways that are broadly consistent with both theoretical expectations and climate models, according to a new scientific study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the NOAA-North Carolina State University Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS).

Since the development of the first climate models in the 1960s, the troposphere has been projected to warm along with the earth’s surface because of the increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This expectation has not significantly changed even with major advances in climate models. (more…)

Researchers Find Cancer News May Contribute to Confusion About Cancer

By Guest PostNovember 11, 2010Culture, Health, Mediaamericans, behavior, cancer, CNN, dale brashers, disease, google news, health information, kami kosenko, msnbc, north carolina state university, online, people, ryan hurley, uncertain terms, yahoo news

New research from North Carolina State University shows that most online news stories about cancer contain language that likely contributes to public uncertainty about the disease – a significant finding, given that at least one-third of Americans seek health information online.

“Previous studies show that more than 100 million Americans seek health information online, and that their findings affect their health decisions,” says Dr. Kami Kosenko, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the study. “But, while people facing uncertainty about cancer issues are likely to seek out additional information, we’ve found that there are features of the information they’re seeking that may actually exacerbate the uncertainty.” (more…)

The More We Talk, The Less We Might Agree: Study Shows Discussion Can Hurt Consensus-Building On Science/Technology

By Guest PostNovember 4, 2010Culture, Scienceandrew binder, dietram scheufele, global warming, large-scale research initiatives, manhattan, nbaf, north carolina state university, plum island, public consensus, public issues, san Antonio, science and technology, scientific endeavors, stem cell research, talking it out

When it comes to public issues pertaining to science and technology, “talking it out” doesn’t seem to work. A new study from North Carolina State University shows that the more people discuss the risks and benefits associated with scientific endeavors, the more entrenched they become in their viewpoint – and the less likely they are to see the merit of other viewpoints.

“This research highlights the difficulty facing state and federal policy leaders when it comes to high-profile science and technology issues, such as stem cell research or global warming,” says Dr. Andrew Binder, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and lead author of the study. “Government agencies view research on these issues as vital and necessary for the country’s future, but building public consensus for that research is becoming increasingly difficult.” (more…)

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